IND vs WI: “Scrap Ranji Trophy” – Fans Furious as BCCI Continues to Ignore Sarfaraz Khan and Abhimanyu Easwaran in Tests

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday, June 24 announced the squads for the upcoming ODI and Test series against the West Indies.

Rohit Sharma will lead India in both ODIs and Tests, while Ajinkya Rahane has been appointed as the vice-captain for the Test team, and Hardik Pandya will serve as Rohit’s deputy in the ODI side.

Key Points from Selection:

• Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal have earned maiden Test call-ups
• Cheteshwar Pujara has been dropped from the Test side
• Sanju Samson has returned to India’s ODI team as a backup wicket-keeper
• Fast bowlers Mukesh Kumar and Jaydev Unadkat have been included in both the Test and ODI squad
• Navdeep Saini has been called up for the Tests
• Umran Malik has returned to ODIs
• Mohammed Shami has been rested from both Tests and ODIs

What went wrong with the selection?

The BCCI’s decision to exclude Sarfaraz Khan and Abhimanyu Easwaran from the Test squad, despite their impressive performances as consistent run-scorers in domestic red-ball cricket, has raised eyebrows once again.

With an outstanding record of 3505 runs in only 37 first-class matches at an average of 79.65, Sarfaraz Khan has showcased his remarkable talent. Similarly, Abhimanyu Easwaran boasts over 6500 runs in just 87 first-class appearances, maintaining an average of 47.85.

However, Ruturaj Gaikwad, despite having a less remarkable first-class record compared to Sarfaraz and Abhimanyu, has secured a spot in the India Test squad. This decision has left fans feeling both surprised and angered.

Here are some reactions from the fans:

There were atleast 40 players who performed better than Ruturaj in Ranji Trophy last season.

Mayank, Patidar, Taide, Rinku, Mandeep, Saha, Sarfaraz, Panchal, Harpreet, Kedar Jadhav, Shreyas Gopal to name a few.

— Krishna Kumar (@KrishnaKRM) June 23, 2023

Can't fathom how Abhimanyu Easwaran isn't in the contention.

— Prithvi (@Puneite_) June 23, 2023

Where is Abhimanyu Easwaran? https://t.co/MsoG5rhmrz

— Shivani Shukla (@iShivani_Shukla) June 23, 2023

The Indian Test Squad is just getting funnier. There's so much to laugh on. 🤣🤣

— Jaanvi🏏 (@that_shutterbug) June 23, 2023

Selecting Ruturaj out of the blue when players like Abhimanyu Easwaran and Priyank Panchal are simply waiting for their chances but sadly they don't play IPL, right? So, no PR for them. Also, where the hell is Sarfaraz Khan? How long He needs to wait just to get selected? https://t.co/vP3F4DoExO

— Aditya Saha (@Adityakrsaha) June 23, 2023

Rahane is back good bye Shreyas Iyer, and Rahane being vice captain suddenly after one match says alot about our management. Also still no sarfaraz Khan? What's your excuse this time and Ruturaj ??? ishan Kishan??? Are we back to pre 2014 test era? https://t.co/hIJCI0Yzgg

— Archer (@poserarcher) June 23, 2023

Gaikwad lol
Feel for poor Easwaran, scored runs in Ranji, scored runs on A tours, has previously been in the squad without a game, but forgotten now, so guess IPL is now a prerequisite for test selections as well, otherwise your performances will be forgotten https://t.co/qG7hSUvvPq

— Vinod (@vnodkumar19) June 23, 2023

https://twitter.com/vipintiwari952/status/1672181567865892871?s=46

It’s quite clear now the youngsters who do well in Ranji Trophy are wasting their time. They should improve their T20 game, do well in IPL and earn a call-up to the Test team. Ranji Trophy is irrelevant. Domestic cricket is a waste. That’s how BCCI’s selections work. #INDvWI

— Mohsin Kamal (@64MohsinKamal) June 23, 2023

---

India’s Test squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini.

India’s ODI squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Shardul Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar.