"I feel First-Class cricket is not getting enough importance" - Vidarbha star Aditya Sarwate opens up on selection criteria

7th February 2022, Sultanpur, the first game of this Ranji Trophy iteration sees Vidarbha lock horns with Uttar Pradesh – a side considered a domestic heavyweight. The UP side also houses Saurabh Kumar, who has just been included in India’s Test squad to face Sri Lanka.

Thus, there is a considerable chunk of the population at Sultanpur who wants to catch a glimpse of the left-arm spinner. But, with UP winning the toss and opting to bat first, they have to wait for their chance. In the meantime, they train their eyes on what the Vidarbha spinners are doing.

Aditya Sarwate, who many haven’t heard about, comes on to bowl. The first ball he delivers lands exactly where he wants it to. The next ball does too. The next as well. And, the next – in the exact same spot.

Then, all of a sudden, a clatter of the stumps is heard on the first ball of the 19th over. Samarth Singh, who had held fort for UP till that juncture, bites the dust, looking gobsmacked and wondering how he has been outwitted so effortlessly.

He has a couple of glances around, and sees Vidarbha celebrating as if they know this was meant to happen. Sarwate – the bowler who had crafted his downfall, has a few high-fives and then is back to his mark. He knows he has produced something special but he also knows that he can keep conjuring such magic on a regular basis.

And, over the course of the next day, those at the ground also come to know what he is capable of. They initially had no idea how these Vidarbha spinners were going to fare. Now, they didn’t just have an idea, they had a vivid picture in front of themselves.

Sarwate bags five wickets in UP’s first innings and helps Vidarbha skittle them out for 301 on a relatively docile surface. The latter can’t quite force a victory on the final day but the display leads many to believe that Sarwate should be the one on the bus to Mohali as India prepare to face Sri Lanka. Saurabh, by the way, is carted for 160 runs (for three wickets) in that same game on a deteriorating surface.

Unfortunately for Sarwate, that particular dream hasn’t been realized yet. Despite picking up more than 200 wickets at an astonishing average of 20.25, he has featured for India A just once, and was under-bowled on that occasion too.

In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Sarwate opened up on how that particular experience had been and what he felt was being used as a marker for selection these days.

“I did very well in the Ranji Trophy when I was called up to the India A squad (in 2019). But I felt that the players who had played in the IPL were focused on a little more – even in red-ball cricket. This is what I felt. It is very rare that a person who has done well in First-Class cricket for 2-3 years gets picked. When I was in the India A set-up, I played only one game and bowled only a few overs. So, I feel that First-Class cricket is not getting enough importance. It breaks my heart to say this but it is this way and I guess this is the reality,” he elaborated.

Sarwate has stupendous numbers in First Class cricket

There is, by the way, plenty of truth in that statement too. As things stand, Sarwate has picked up 201 FC wickets in 81 innings. His competitors, on the other hand – the likes of Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav and Saurabh pale in that particular comparison.

While Axar has bagged 171 wickets in 79 innings at an average of 24.19, Saurabh has claimed 199 wickets at an average of 24.59 across 83 innings. The biggest surprise, though, is the kind of record Jayant possesses. He, for those wondering, has been cast as India’s first-choice bench spinner – a spinner who plays when one of Axar, Ravichandran Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja are not available.

But Jayant averages 31.83 in First Class cricket. He has bowled in 99 innings and has only managed 173 wickets, highlighting that he, at least based on numbers, probably doesn’t even deserve to be in the squad, let alone make the playing 11 regularly.

Jayant Yadav did not impress agianst Sri Lanka at Mohali

This, however, has been something that most Vidarbha players have gotten used to in the past few years. Back in 2017-18 and 2018-19, they did the Ranji Trophy and the Irani Trophy double – a feat very few teams in India’s domestic cricket history can lay claim to. Yet, only Sarwate got an India A gig. He too was discarded after a solitary game.

“We won the Ranji Trophy and the Irani Trophy double twice in a row. But only one (me) went to the India A set up, played one game and returned never to be selected again. I feel at least a fair opportunity should be given. I feel somewhere our players don’t get enough recognition,” Sarwate added.

Apart from illustrating how unlucky cricketers from Vidarbha have been in recent times, it opens up another debate on whether too much importance is being given to the IPL, even when selecting red-ball teams. It ideally shouldn’t be this way but considering the players who have been drafted in lately, it is something that we might unfortunately have to get accustomed to.

“I think playing in the IPL makes a lot of difference. If you see Akshay Wadkar and if you look at his average (57.36 in First Class Cricket), it is stunning. But he has not even played a single game for India A so far. If, for example, I, Akshay bhai (Akshay Wakhare), Faiz bhai (Faiz Fazal), R Sanjay and Wadkar had been playing for say, Mumbai or Karnataka, we might have gotten our opportunities earlier,” the left-arm spinner quipped.

Under ordinary circumstances, it would have been an enormous dampener and would have even made them contemplate why they are putting in so much effort for something that will ultimately prove futile.

Check out the full IPL Orange Cap Winners here.

However, this is where Sarwate and the rest of his Vidarbha teammates distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack. They know that they weren’t given their due, but they have ensured that their performances haven’t dropped.

“The love for the game never diminishes. After a point, we will not be able to play cricket. So, I feel fortunate that I am still playing for my state. I treat every match as if it is my last. I have also learnt to never take my place in the side for granted because that can lead to complacency. If anything, these setbacks increase our motivation to do even better for our team and win national tournaments,” Sarwate told Sportskeeda.

At first, there can be nothing but appreciation for this sort of attitude. For a cricketer who aspires to reach the very top, such roadblocks can suck out more than enough energy. On further introspection, though, it is something that certainly needs to be looked at.

Considering the talent in India, there will be situations where there will be at least one cricketer who doesn’t get what his performances warrant. It is a simple demand-supply phenomenon. But if bowlers such as Sarwate, who has taken more than 200 First Class wickets at an average of 20.25 are continually overlooked, it means that something isn’t quite right.

The counter-argument might be that India already have Axar and Jadeja to fulfill the left-arm spinner role. That, though, is rendered moot, considering Saurabh was added to the squad and when Axar returned, Kuldeep Yadav was the one to make way.

There is nothing against Saurabh or the other bowlers mentioned as comparison to Sarwate’s exploits. It’s just that when someone who has been dominating the domestic circuit doesn’t get the chances he deserves, it leaves the entire structure a little broken. And, with the resources India has, that is perhaps the last thing the ecosystem needs.

The only good to accrue from it all is that Sarwate knows how to tackle these blips. He has, throughout his life, overcome severe hardship and has always been there to tell the tale of his triumph. Not many cricketers (or individuals for that matter) are capable of that. And that, in itself, is an achievement worth celebrating.

Knowing Sarwate, though, he will not be rejoicing too much at an opportunity he fashions. Nor, will he be too crestfallen when something doesn’t fall into place. He will keep treating each game as his last and will never take his place for granted.

So far, that has worked a charm for Vidarbha. It could work extraordinarily for India A and India too. But only if that call is made. At the moment, it is a question that remains unanswered but a question that will have to be answered if he continues performing the way he is.