“Sarfaraz’s returns on the field with the bat were even more prodigious than his waistline” – Gavaskar urges Indian cricket to end slim waist fixation

Legendary Sunil Gavaskar feels India’s top brass’ obsession with slim waist should end sooner than later. Gavaskar urged Indian cricket to end slim waist fixation after Sarfaraz Khan scored a majestic knock of 150 runs in the second innings of the opening Test match against New Zealand at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.

Khan was dismissed for a duck in the first innings but he was able to turn the tables in the second essay. The youngster scored 18 fours and three sixes in the second innings as he batted at the top of his game. 

Khan has been a consistent performer in the domestic circuit and has scored a truckload of runs while playing for Mumbai. However, his fitness has always been questioned and thus he was given a late entry into the Indian squad despite scoring runs consistently.

“Sarfaraz’s returns on the field with the bat were even more prodigious than his waistline. Sadly, Indian cricket has had too many decision-makers with ideas that are hard to fathom,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.

“Sarfaraz Khan has been denied a place in the Indian team for some years now, despite scoring runs by the hundreds in domestic cricket. This was largely because those in a position to make decisions believed he didn’t have the slim waist they deemed necessary for international cricket,” the former Indian batter added.

On the other hand, Rishabh Pant also scored a fine knock of 99 runs in the second innings and added 177 runs with Sarfaraz Khan. Gavaskar noted that Pant is also not someone who has a slim waist.

“Rishabh Pant is another player who doesn’t possess the slim waist that these fitness purists seem to want, but what an impact player he is. Let’s not forget that he also keeps wickets all day, which not only requires getting up and down for around six hours of play but also running to the stumps to gather the throws. So, please discard these yoyo-yoyo tests and instead assess how strong a player is mentally,” Gavaskar elaborated his point.

“Many people in India have this strange notion that a slim waist signifies a fit person. How often have we heard someone look at a slim-waisted individual and say how fit they are? Sports fitness doesn’t depend on slim waists alone. If the mind is strong, then physical fitness can largely be controlled by it,” he added.

India will take on New Zealand in the second Test at Pune.