Gavaskar slams selectors for dropping Pujara, ignoring Sarfaraz
New Delhi: Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has lashed out at the national selectors for making Cheteshwar Pujara the "scapegoat" and ignoring prolific domestic scorer Sarfaraz Khan for the two tests in the West Indies next month.
Referring to Khan's non-selection, Gavaskar questioned the logic behind having the Ranji Trophy if performance in the country's premier domestic tournament is not looked into while picking the Indian red-ball teams instead of taking the players IPL (Indian Premier League) record.
"Khan has been scoring at an average of 100 in all past three seasons. What does he have to do to be picked in the squad? he might not be in the playing XI, but you pick him in the team," Gavskar said of the Mumbai batter to Sports Today.
"Tell him that his performances are being recognised. Otherwise, stop playing Ranji Trophy. Say, it's of no use, you just play IPL and think you are good enough for the red-ball game as well." With the help of three centuries, Khan amassed 556 runs in six games at an average of 92.66 in the 2022–23 Ranji Trophy.
The 25-year-old right-handed batter had scored 982 runs at an average of 122.75 in the 2021–22 Ranji season, including four hundreds.
In all, Khan has scored 3,505 runs in 37 first-class matches at an average of 79.65, including 13 centuries.
As far as Pujara is concerned, his absence from the Indian Test team for the Windies tour has been one of the talking points.
He said not having millions of followers on social media platforms, like some of the other India stars such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, is no reason to drop anyone.
"Why has he been made the scapegoat for our batting failures? He has been a loyal servant of Indian cricket, a quiet and able achiever. But because he doesn't have millions of followers on whatever platforms who would make a noise in case he gets dropped, you drop him? That is something beyond understanding," said Gavaskar.
"What is the criteria for dropping him and keeping the others who failed. I don't know because nowadays there is no media interaction with the selection committee chairman or whoever where you could actually ask these questions," he added.
The highly promising and in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal could be taking up the No.3 spot that Pujara made his own over the last decade.
Continuing, the batting great said that age should not be a criteria for selecting players.
"Yes he has been playing County cricket, he knows what the red ball is all about," said Gavaskar about Pujara.
"Nowadays players can play till they are 39 or 40, there is nothing wrong with that. They are all very fit and as long as you are producing runs or taking wickets, I don't think age should be a factor.
"Clearly only one man has been singled out while the others also failed. To me, the batting failed in WTC (World Test Championship) final. Apart from Ajinkya Rahane, there was nobody who got any runs. So why Pujara has been made the fall guy is something the selectors need to explain," he said.
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Choose faith or future: BJP alleges 'second-class treatment' of Hindus in K'natka CET row
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Saturday accused the Karnataka Congress government of being "anti-Hindu" and following double standards after students appearing for the Common Entrance Test (CET) were allegedly asked to remove their 'janeu'.
A political row erupted after five Brahmin students were allegedly forced to remove the thread, considered sacred and worn across the torsos, at a city college in during the CET on Friday.
Students alleged that the invigilators at Madivala asked them to remove their janeu/yajnopaveetha if they wanted to write the exam.
In a video post on X, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla lambasted the act.
"Is it a crime to be a Hindu in Karnataka? In Karnataka, students were stopped from entering the examination hall for wearing a janeu and were given a brutal option -- choose your faith or your future. This happened last year as well," Poonawalla alleged.
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He accused the Karnataka government of practising double standards and engaging in appeasement politics.
"In Karnataka, we have seen the politics of appeasement. Muslim reservation, a Muslim-only budget, and quotas and contractual work for Muslims. But Hindus have to remove their sacred thread if they want to take an exam, which even the courts have, by the way, allowed," he alleged.
He accused the Congress government of adopting a similar approach in other states where it is in power, while allowing hijab and burka in classrooms.
"It has happened in various Congress-ruled states. We have seen that the Congress party advocates the right to hijab and burkha within the classroom. They say this should be allowed. Even the courts have overruled it.
"But in the case of janeu, they want it to be removed. This is not the first time this has happened. In Telangana and other states, the tilak and mangalsutra were removed. But hijab is fine. This is the kind of second-class treatment being given to Hindus," he added.
Poonawalla said the Congress should rename itself from INC to "MMC -- Muslim League Maowadi Congress" or the "Islamic National Caliphate Party".
As the controversy took a political turn, the college suspended the invigilator pending inquiry. The government also ordered a probe.
The police registered a case and detained three staff members of Krupanidhi College who were in charge of examination checking for questioning, officials said.
A similar incident took place last year in Karnataka, following which the government directed that the candidates would not be asked to remove the janeu while appearing for the CET.
