Sarfaraz Khan returns, as selectors bust IPL metrics myth

Gurnoor Brar didn’t feature in a single game in the 2026 IPL. When he was included in the Indian squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in June, eyebrows were raised.

The selectors considered his performances in domestic cricket and for India A. In the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, the 26-year-old from Punjab had picked up 26 wickets in seven matches at an average of 20.30. In an unofficial Test against Sri Lanka A last month, his 10-wicket match haul helped India A secure a 10-wicket win. Zaheer Khan has now called him the country’s “most promising” fast bowler. As India gear up for the Test series opener against Sri Lanka in Galle from August 15, Brar is snapping at Prasidh Krishna’s heels to be the second pacer in the XI alongside Mohammed Siraj.

Saransh Jain doesn’t have an IPL team. In the Ranji Trophy last season, the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder achieved the double of scoring 500 (518) runs and taking 30 wickets. In the two Unofficial Tests against Sri Lanka A in June-July, the off-spinner accounted for seven wickets, while scoring 70 not out in the second game. With Washington Sundar ruled out of the first Test against Sri Lanka and doubtful for the second, the selectors included the 33-year-old in a four-pronged spin attack.

When Aquib Nabi, the Jammu and Kashmir seamer, was ignored for the one-off Test against Afghanistan, there was a hue and cry. Some criticisms were justified. Then again, the selectors’ job is to look beyond the hard numbers. Brar was preferred over him because of his ability to bowl quick and make the ball rear off a length. But Nabi was always on the selection committee’s radar. He was named as Jasprit Bumrah’s replacement after the latter was ruled out of the Sri Lanka Tests due to a knee injury.

In its press release, the BCCI mentioned Nabi’s exploits in domestic cricket, saying: “The Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler earns his maiden call-up to the senior national team. Nabi claimed 104 wickets across the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, including 60 wickets in the 2025-26 campaign, playing a pivotal role in Jammu and Kashmir’s maiden Ranji Trophy triumph.”

Finally Sarfaraz Khan, who was brought back to the Test fold as the injured Sai Sudharsan’s replacement. The Mumbai batsman is a domestic cricket stalwart, boasting an average of 64.73 in first-class cricket. As regards the IPL, he is an outlier. Maybe, Sarfaraz should have been part of the squad for the home Test series against South Africa last winter as well. But his recall attests that the selectors didn’t make him an outcast.

More importantly, the selection of the four players — yes, three of them are replacements — busts the myth that Ajit Agarkar’s committee considers the IPL metrics for Test team selection. The job of the selectors’ is a thankless one. For every poor performance, they are in the line of fire. But sometimes, give them their flowers.

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