"It makes no sense" - Shashi Tharoor's massive statement on Indian batter's omission ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

Renowned Indian politician Shashi Tharoor was baffled at Sarfaraz Khan's exclusion from the Test squad for the upcoming five-match Test series against England. The right-handed batter lost out in the middle-order race despite Virat Kohli's recent retirement leaving a vacancy in the batting order. The selection committee, however, preferred the likes of Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair to beef up the batting department.

Sarfaraz Khan had to remain content with a spot in the India 'A' squad instead. The batter made a massive statement after scoring 92 runs in the first unofficial Test against the England Lions in Canterbury recently. He had reportedly lost weight, and was involved in intense training for the England tour after not availing an opportunity during the Border-Gavaskar series in Australia.

The Mumbai batter played in Team India's red-ball home season in 2024, where he recorded his maiden Test ton, before his scores took a serious dip.

Shashi Tharoor questioned the selectors' decision to leave out Sarfaraz Khan in a time when 'young blood' is needed in the squad following the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

"It's a tough call for any selector, but I must say that we all have our favorites who ought to be there. I think that young Sarfaraz has done far too well in the domestic circuit to be left out. Given no opportunity in Australia, given one innings here where he made a big score in the nineties, and then was not played again. Rumors are that he did very well in the warm-up match against the regular Indian side," Tharoor said in an interaction with RevSportz.

"Why do they leave out a player of this quality? It makes no sense. I think we should now give people a chance, we've lost the greats of Rohit and Virat one after the other, so we really need to have fresh young blood for the next two years ahead, who have done well and proven themselves over and over again like Sarfaraz has," he added.

Sarfaraz Khan had to wait a considerable time for his international debut as well. The batter, despite piling on runs in the domestic cricket, only got to debut after an injury and unavailability crisis during the home series against England in early 2024.

"He does not show that side in the parliament" - Shashi Tharoor on Gautam Gambhir's aggression

Gautam Gambhir had a distinct political career after his international career as a player. He served as a member of the Lok Sabha from 2019 to 2024, balancing his coaching career on the side in the Indian Premier League (IPL), before taking over as Rahul Dravid's successor in the national team.

"I actually know Gauti quite well, he was in the parliament with me. He does not show that side in the parliament. Results are the only thing that matter in this sport, so let us see what comes up, let us wait for the results, and judge," Tharoor said.

Team India's tour of England begins with the first Test at Headingley, Leeds, on June 20.