Mumbai, November 3: Indian team management’s decision to move Sarfaraz Khan to No. 8 slot during the Mumbai Test against New Zealand has faced some criticism from experts and followers of the game.
The reshuffle was prompted by the use of Mohammed Siraj as a nightwatchman on the evening of Day 1, which altered the batting order. Consequently, Sarfaraz Khan had to make way for Ravindra Jadeja, pushing him down the order to No. 8.
Former India batter and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar was particularly vocal in his criticism of this strategy. He questioned the rationale behind pushing an in-form Sarfaraz down the order. Manjrekar expressed his views on social media, highlighting Sarfaraz’s impressive recent form.
“A guy in form, has 3 fifties in his first 3 Tests, gets 150 in the Bangalore Test, a good player of spin, pushed back in the order to keep left & right combination?? Makes no sense. Sarfraz now walking in at no 8! Poor call by India,” Manjrekar wrote on X.
Sarfaraz has given stellar performance in the opening Test of the series, where he scored 150 runs batting at No. 4. In subsequent matches, he has batted at six, seven, and now eight.
In the Mumbai Test, Sarfaraz was dismissed for a four-ball duck, edging behind an Ajaz Patel delivery that turned and bounced. This marked his third duck in ten Test innings, a disappointing outcome, especially on his home turf where he regularly practices with his father and brother, Musheer.
Maintaining a left-right combination has been a noticeable tactic under Gautam Gambhir’s coaching tenure. This approach began during his maiden ODI campaign against Sri Lanka, where Washington Sundar was promoted to No. 4, while Shivam Dube was held back to No. 8 and then promoted to No. 4 in the next match. Similarly, KL Rahul batted at No. 7 for the first time in his career during this period.
The reshuffle also resulted in Ravichandran Ashwin batting at No. 10 for the first time in his 105-Test career, further emphasizing the extent of the changes made to maintain the left-right combination.