Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed concern over how national players like Sarfaraz Khan and Abhimanyu Easwaran are being treated by selectors in Australia. Sanjay Manjrekar stated that Sarfaraz Khan should not have been “abandoned” by KL Rahul in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The Men in Blue suffered a 1-3 defeat against Australia in the recently concluded five-match Test series. Sarfaraz Khan and Abhimanyu Easwaran did not get opportunities in Australia. However, the team management played youngsters like Devdutt Padikkal, Nitesh Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel and Harshit Rana.

That’s not a good way to look at things – Sanjay Manjrekar

Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Sanjay Manjrekar pointed out that people were prematurely writing off Easwaran for his performance in a warm-up match, which he felt was an unfair approach. Manjrekar said selectors should be more patient and observant before making such judgments.

“When we had that talk before the first Test, I said it shouldn’t be such a simple decision that Sarfraz Khan took off and put in KL Rahul. I think there was a lot of prevention, a lot of people were playing God. with Abhimanyu Easwaran and seeing him in a warm-up match and thinking that you are not going to get a run. I think that is not a good way to look at things because cricket gives you surprises, Sanjay told ESPNcricinfo.

Sarfaraz Khan has impressed with his performances in domestic cricket, maintaining an exceptional first-class average of around 65. He has scored 371 runs at an average of 37.10 in six Tests. However, the Indian team management chose to prefer Dhruv Jurel in the first Test against Australia in Perth.

England is going to be a completely different challenge – Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar pointed out that players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who can perform well on Indian fields or in the Ranji Trophy, will face a much bigger challenge in England. Manjrekar emphasized that if players like Kohli and Sharma really want to perform abroad, they should be there.

“Even if Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma get runs on Indian pitches, the Ranji Trophy in England will be a completely different challenge,” Manjrekar said.

“So I want to see them, if they’re serious about it, be out there and then the selectors watch and see that something happens, something has changed and there’s a chance we’ll see a different performance.”

Sarfaraz Khan rewarded for his tremendous record – Sanjay Manjrekar

Manjrekar expressed disappointment over the treatment of Sarfaraz Khan despite his impressive national record. Manjrekar said it was unfair to dismiss Sarfaraz even if he had not been suitable for certain pitches.

“Sarfaraz Khan was rewarded for his tremendous record at first-class level. He scored three 50s and 150s, but then did terribly in the next test. But then he was dropped altogether. I don’t think that’s entirely correct.” Manjrekar said.

“Even if you think Sarfaraz Khan might not be successful on these kinds of pitches, what if he had found a way to get runs, with third man being his main scoring area? I mean, it was a revelation how he played against England “So let’s not try to play God too much, maybe just watch a little bit, worry about how they will perform at the highest level, but you have to reward people who have careers.”

Also Read: Sunil Gavaskar claims Rohit Sharma’s ‘brave decision to step aside’ could end his career