'What is the incentive for a young player to take pride in playing for his state anymore’ - Abhinav Mukund darts brain teasers after India's squad announcement for West Indies tour

The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) announced India's ODI and Test squad for the upcoming tour of the West Indies on Friday, June 23. It is worth noting that India and the West Indies will face off in a multi-format series that is scheduled to begin on July 12. Both sides will take on each other in two Test matches, which will be followed by three ODIs and finish with five T20I matches.

As the BCCI announced the squad for the tour, there were many changes that the fans witnessed. Veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara has been left out of the Test side, whereas Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashavi Jaiswal, and Mukesh Kumar have received their maiden call-ups for the national team. 

However, with the squad announcement came a lot of controversy as well. Many fans took to Twitter to scrutinise the BCCI for not picking Sarfaraz Khan in the side, whereas many opined that the Ranji Trophy has been overlooked as a criterion for selection and that the player’s performances in the IPL (Indian Premier League) matters more. 

The 33-year-old India batter Abhinav Mukund was of a similar opinion as well. Taking to Twitter, Mukund scrutinised the BCCI over their selection criteria and questioned whether there is no pride left in playing for one’s state as a youngster anymore, and that franchise cricket is the short way to earn a place in the national side. 

"Unable to understand these selections—too many thoughts in my head to compile into a tweet. But what is the incentive for a young player to take pride in playing for his state anymore? Clearly, the franchise route is a faster way to scale the grade," Abhinav Mukund tweeted.

Unable to understand these selections- too many thoughts in my head to compile into a tweet. But what is the incentive for a young player to take pride in playing for his state anymore? Clearly the franchise route is a faster way to scale the grade. #INDvsWI

— Abhinav Mukund (@mukundabhinav) June 23, 2023

Mukund’s comments came to light after Sarfaraz Khan once again missed out on India selection. Being one of the best performers in the Ranji Trophy recently, Sarfaraz has been deemed by fans as one of the most deserving candidates to make his India debut, however, the selectors think otherwise.