Sanjay Manjrekar expresses displeasure over Sarfaraz Khan being excluded from India¡¯s squad for England series
India¡¯s Test squad for England has raised more questions than expected. With Rohit and Kohli gone, Gautam Gambhir¡¯s role alongside Ajit Agarkar has become the centre of fan frustration. Cricket analyst Sanjay Manjrekar and fans have shared their thoughts on the exclusions of in-form players like Iyer and Sarfaraz.
The Indian squad for the anticipated England test series has been announced, and the choices of the selectors have created quite the stir among fans and critics alike. The exclusion of in-form players like Shreyas Iyer and Sarfaraz Khan has raised questions around the selection process led by the current chairman of the BCCI selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, and head coach, Gautam Gambhir.
Previously, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from the longest format of the sport, raising eyebrows in the cricketing stratosphere. Rohit Sharma¡¯s retirement meant a new captain would be selected, and 25-year-old Shubman Gill turned out to be the successor amidst a pool of Test format veterans like Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. This initiated the start of a new era in the Indian Test cricket team.. Sanjay Manjrekar weighed in on the Sarfaraz¡¯s exclusion at a time when a new era is set to begin in Tests for India
¡°I see a tendency in this management to pre-empt performances¡±, says cricket analyst Sanjay Manjrekar
Former cricketer and popular cricket analyst, Sanjay Manjrekar, criticised the Indian cricket team management over the exclusion of in-form players. He felt that the absence of leaders like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli has made the management ¡°pre-empt performances of individuals while making selections¡±.
Middle order batsman Sarfaraz Khan has lost 10 kg before England tour. pic.twitter.com/rxxkrg7yhY
¡ª Devendra Pandey (@pdevendra) May 18, 2025
"Under Gautam Gambhir's stewardship and with Rohit not there anymore, I see a tendency in this management to pre-empt performances of individuals while making selections," Sanjay Manjrekar told The Hindustan Times.
He further added, "As in, the dominating thought here is to apply their own view of the likely success and failure of players depending on conditions and opposition,".
There were also questions over Karun Nair¡¯s selection instead of Sarfaraz Khan. Manjrekar added, ¡°It's about someone important in the leadership group thinking Sarfaraz will not get runs in England and Australia, and Karun Nair will."
Indian batter Sarfaraz Khan had played in six Test matches for India. The 27-year-old has scored 371 runs averaging at 37.10 runs per innings. He has three fifties and one century under his name.
Karun Nair has also played six Test matches, and scored 374 runs in total. Most of his runs came from a single match, where the 33-year-old batter scored 303 runs against England at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai back in 2016. Apart from that, he had struggled to put runs on the board, having no fifties under his name in the rest of the matches.
Fans express disappointment over Shreyas Iyer¡¯s exclusion
Similarly, fans shared their disappointment over the exclusion of Shreyas Iyer, who had been consistently putting in good performances for Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. He is one of the highest scorers of the tournament, having 514 runs under his name. He has scored five fifties in 14 IPL matches, averaging at 51.40.
In Tests, he has played in 14 matches, scoring 814 runs. He has averaged at 36.86 runs per innings, with one century and five fifties under his name. The Punjab Kings¡¯ captain has been explosive in IPL 2025 and a reliable player in Test format, raising questions regarding his exclusion from the India-England Test series.
Sai Sudarshan selected based on IPL Karun Nair selected based on Domestic:
¡ª MANU. (@IMManu_18) May 24, 2025
- Shreyas Iyer performed in both but Dropped by The BCCI, Ajit Agarkar & Gautam Gambhir?? pic.twitter.com/ouL8OkVjn8
Indian cricket fans shared their thoughts all over social media on how the BCCI selection committee and Gautam Gambhir have made questionable decisions. One fan posted on X, ¡°Successful IPL captain, great stats across international formats, as well as domestic.¡±, in regards to the exclusion of Shreyas Iyer from the Indian squad.
Does Shreyas deserve to be in the test team??
¡ª Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 28, 2025
Successful IPL captain, great stats across international formats, as well as domestic. ?#IPL #ShreyasIyer #PBKS pic.twitter.com/wzE76yEhqD
Shreyas Iyer delivers in Ranji. Stays fit. Shows hunger. Still, no place in the Test squad.
¡ª James ? (@James12KX) May 24, 2025
When performance isn't enough, what more does a player need to do?
Is it really about form, or is the politics playing its dirty game again?
Gautam Gambhir's growing influence as¡ pic.twitter.com/ah4cgeXYs6
With criticisms showering upon the squad selection process, it will be intriguing to see if the Shubman Gill-led Indian team manages to win the Test series against England.