"After ages, a young gun has come to us and chose to stand at short leg" - Ravichandran Ashwin on Sarfaraz Khan
Ravichandran Ashwin has lauded Sarfaraz Khan for volunteering to stand at short-leg during the five-match Test series between India and England.
Ashwin pointed out that several players are apprehensive about fielding at the position because of injury concerns. Praising Sarfaraz for his courage, Ashwin said in his latest YouTube video on his channel 'Ashwin':
"After ages, a young gun has come to us and chose to stand at short leg because nobody stands at short leg from the Indian team. It is very taxing. There is an injury fear. You can see the English and Australian teams. Ollie Pope is the man for short legs. Alistair Cook while he was playing. The same goes with Peter Handscomb for Australia. It is a specialist position and makes a lot of difference. He volunteered, and he learned a lot."
Sarfaraz Khan also earned widespread praise for his batting exploits in his debut Test series. The talented youngster notched up three half-centuries and finished with 200 runs in five innings at an average of 50.
"Dhruv Jurel’s composure was unbelievable" - Ravichandran Ashwin on the Indian keeper-batter
Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel was another debutant who made a significant impact in the five-match Test series. He did a commendable job with the gloves and also delivered some crucial knocks for the Men in Blue.
Jurel registered scores of 90 and 39* in the Ranchi Test, which was just his second appearance at the highest level. Speaking about the 23-year-old's performance, Ashwin said via the aforementioned source:
"Dhruv Jurel’s composure was unbelievable. What a temperament! So many people talk about technique and skill; all I see is the temperament and the fight that he puts in. It is critical for us to see that, and he showed all of it in the same innings. When such a cricketer comes out of the blue, he doesn’t have any battle scars. So he can play his game freely."
India secured a 4-1 series victory over England. Ravichandran Ashwin was the highest wicket-taker in the rubber, bagging 26 scalps.