Former Indian national cricket team player Sunil Gavaskar has praised young batsman Sarfaraz Khan for his heroics in the Bengaluru Test against the New Zealand national cricket team. He said his performance on the field was well above his waist.

After working hard for many years in the domestic circuit, Sarfaraz Khan finally earned his place in the Indian Test team this year. He is arguably the best performer in red ball cricket in Indian domestic cricket as he has been racking up truckloads of runs for Mumbai at an astonishing average of around 70.

However, due to fitness issues, Sarfaraz Khan failed to make the cut in the Indian Test team. But ever since he was included in the Indian team setup, he has lived up to the expectations and has consistently scored runs for the team.

Sarfaraz Khan played 150 innings against New Zealand in the first Test.

Sarfaraz Khan scored three fifties in his first series and after that, he recently played his best Test innings for the Indian National Cricket Team. The right-hander set the stage on fire in the recently concluded first Test against the New Zealand National Cricket Team.

Sarafarz Khan played 150 innings and the way he treated both spinners and fast bowlers was something that caught the attention of many. He played with controlled aggression and made sure to help his team take the lead in the second innings after being bowled out for 46 runs in the first innings.

Sarfaraz’s on-field performances with the bat were even more prodigious than his waistline – Sunil Gavaskar

While praising Sarfaraz Khan, Sunil Gavaskar said that in Indian cricket there are too many decision makers who feel that only players with thin waists should play. He pointed out how the batsman was denied a place in the team for so many years for the same reason. In his column for Sportstar, he explained:

“Sarfaraz’s results on the field with the bat were even more prodigious than his waistline. Unfortunately, Indian cricket has had too many decision makers with ideas that are difficult to understand.”

“Sarfaraz Khan has been denied a place in the Indian team for some years now, despite scoring hundreds of runs in domestic cricket. This was largely because those in a position to make decisions believed he had no the thin waist they considered necessary for international cricket.”

Rishabh Pant is another player who does not possess the slim waist that these fitness purists seem to want – Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar further added that Rishabh Pant, who is also not a thin-waisted player, consistently delivers for the team. He pointed out how he runs on the field while holding and called for yo-yo testing to be removed. While giving more details about the same, he said:

“Rishabh Pant is another player who doesn’t have the slim waist that these fitness purists seem to want, but he is an impact player. Let’s not forget that he also keeps wickets all day, which not only requires getting up and bending down for around six hours of play but also running towards the stumps to pick up the pitches So, rule out these yoyo-yoyo tests and instead assess how mentally strong a player is.

“Many people in India have a strange notion that a thin waist means a fit person. How often have we heard someone look at a thin-waisted person and say how fit he is? Sports fitness is not just about of thin waists. The mind is strong, so physical fitness can be controlled to a large extent by it,” he concluded.

Rishabh Pant was initially criticized a lot for his fitness but continued to deliver for the team. However, after his accident, he has worked hard on his fitness.