Shashi Tharoor and Sarfaraz Khan NEW DELHI: The growing debate over Indiaâ€s selection policies took a fresh turn after senior Indian cricketers expressed frustration over being overlooked despite strong domestic performances. Joining the chorus, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor voiced his anger over the omission of prolific batter Sarfaraz Khan, calling it an “outrage†and a damning reflection of how domestic cricket is undervalued in the selection process.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Taking to social media, Tharoor wrote: “This is frankly an outrage. @SarfarazA_54 averages 65-plus in first-class cricket, scored a fifty on Test debut and a 150 in a Test we lost, made 92 in his only tour match in England (and a century in the practice match against the full Indian Test team) — and still finds himself excluded from the selectors†frame of reference.â€Tharoor went on to defend other seasoned campaigners who continue to perform in the domestic circuit but remain out of national reckoning. “I am very glad to see @ajinkyarahane88, @PrithviShaw and @karun126 making runs in the #RanjiTrophy. Our selectors are too quick to discard proven talent in order to take a punt on ‘potential.†Runs in domestic cricket must be valued, not just the #IPL; otherwise why should anyone bother to play the Ranji?†he added.Tharoorâ€s remarks come amid a rare wave of public dissent from top Indian players over the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committeeâ€s approach, with many citing poor communication and inconsistent evaluation criteria.Pacer Mohammed Shami recently questioned the “comeback†narrative after a five-wicket haul for Bengal, subtly pointing to the lack of transparency around selection and fitness updates. Meanwhile, Ajinkya Rahane, who smashed 159 for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, decried what he called “age-based selectionâ€, arguing that “intent and experience†should matter as much as youth.Karun Nair, too, voiced his frustration after being ignored despite amassing over 1,500 runs in the last two Ranji seasons, while Shardul Thakur hinted at the intense competition for limited all-rounder spots.Tharoorâ€s intervention has reignited a long-standing debate: whether domestic cricket — once the bedrock of Indiaâ€s selection system — is losing its relevance in the age of IPL scouting and youth-centric policies.
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