Gavaskar criticizes 'fitness purists' in Indian cricket: 'Sarfaraz Khan's impressive return to the field...'.

Renowned cricketer Sunil Gavaskar strongly criticized the fitness enthusiasts who overlooked Sarfaraz Khan's impressive performance in domestic cricket, preventing him from joining the Test team for several years. Despite his exceptional record, Sarfaraz had to wait patiently for his opportunity to represent India. He finally made his debut against England earlier this year, stepping in for key players like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer. Sarfaraz didn't disappoint, showcasing his talent with two half-centuries in his very first match, including a remarkable 150 in the Bengaluru Test.

He failed to find a place in the playing XIs for the two Test matches against Bangladesh as team management decided to go with another combination. However, an injury to Shubman Gill paved the way for Sarfaraz to get another chance in the XI for the first Test against New Zealand, and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. After registering a duck in the first innings, the 26-year-old was under pressure when he came out to bat in the second essay, with India being down and out in the game. Sarfaraz held his nerves well and smashed 150 runs to showcase his ability to play daddy knock in red-ball cricket.

Gavaskar, who has often praised Sarfaraz for his domestic record, slammed the decision-makers in Indian cricket who delayed the 26-year-old's entry into the Test team.

"Sarfaraz Khan has been denied a place in the Indian team for some years now, despite scoring runs by the hundreds in domestic cricket. This was largely because those in a position to make decisions believed he didn’t have the slim waist they deemed necessary for international cricket. Sarfaraz’s returns on the field with the bat were even more prodigious than his waistline. Sadly, Indian cricket has had too many decision-makers with ideas that are hard to fathom," Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.

The legendary Indian batter also gave the example of Rishabh Pant, who was also criticised in the past for not having a slim fast despite having the fitness to keep the wickets all day in a match.

"Rishabh Pant is another player who doesn’t possess the slim waist that these fitness purists seem to want, but what an impact player he is. Let’s not forget that he also keeps wickets all day, which not only requires getting up and down for around six hours of play but also running to the stumps to gather the throws," he added.

Gavaskar further advised the BCCI to discard the Yo-Yo Test and start picking players based on their mental toughness.

"So, please discard these yoyo-yoyo tests and instead assess how strong a player is mentally. That will be a true indicator of a player’s fitness. If a player can bat the whole day or bowl 20 overs in a day, he is match-fit, regardless of how slim or not his waist is," said Gavaskar.