3 reasons why Sarfaraz Khan must debut for India in 2nd Test vs England
Sarfaraz Khan has received a place in India's squad for the second Test match against England. The uncapped Indian batter has replaced KL Rahul, who complained of a right quadriceps pain to the BCCI medical team. As a precautionary measure, he has been withdrawn from the Indian squad for the second Test in Vizag.
Rahul's absence will hurt the Indian team a lot. He played a big role in India's 1-1 draw with South Africa in the recently played away World Test Championship series. Also, in the first Test against England, Rahul scored 86 runs in the first innings.
While KL Rahul is unavailable, India have multiple options present in the squad as his replacement. Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidar, and Washington Sundar are the four probable options. In this article, we will look at three reasons why Sarfaraz should get a chance to play.
#1 Sarfaraz Khan has been waiting for a long time
Dhruv Jurel and Rajat Patidar recently made it to the Indian squads. Like Sarfaraz Khan, they are waiting to play their first Test match, but Khan has been in line for a long time now. Since 2019/20, Khan has been knocking on the selectors' door by scoring heaps of runs in domestic cricket.
Finally, after almost four years, Khan has come close to earning an Indian Test cap. He will be hungry to perform for the team, and in the absence of Virat Kohli, he can even play at number four, a position at which he scored 161 runs in a recent unofficial Test match against the England Lions at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
#2 Sarfaraz Khan scored big in his last match
Sarfaraz Khan is coming off a Man of the Match award-winning performance against England Lions in an unofficial Test match. The Test was held from January 24 to 27 in Ahmedabad. Batting at number four, Khan scored 161 runs off just 160 balls, hitting 18 fours and five sixes.
He scored those runs against the likes of Matthew Potts, Brydon Carse, Tom Lawes, and Callum Parkinson. Having scored runs against England Lions, Khan would have a lot of confidence. He can destroy the English bowling lineup in Vizag if given an opportunity to play.
#3 Sarfaraz Khan can be a long-term solution for India in Tests
Ever since the BCCI gave up on Ajinkya Rahane in Test cricket, the selection committee has tried out many batters in the middle-order. They even went back to Rahane last year after his replacements could not impress much.
Shreyas Iyer has shown promise, but he has not been that consistent. Also, Iyer is a regular member of India's limited-overs squad, which increases his workload significantly. The same goes for KL Rahul, who is also aiming a return to India's T20I team.
The selectors can groom Sarfaraz as a Test specialist now. He has done a phenomenal job in red-ball cricket. If he gets his debut cap in Vizag, he can prove to be a long-term solution for India's middle-order woes.
India recently solved their middle-order woes in T20Is by introducing Rinku Singh. Perhaps, Sarfaraz can do that job in Tests now.