"He cannot afford to waste this opportunity" - Harbhajan Singh on Sarfaraz Khan ahead of IND vs ENG 2nd Test
Sarfaraz Khan was among the three replacements named by India for the upcoming second Test against England after KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja were ruled out owing to their respective injuries.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh believes that if Sarfaraz gets a chance to be part of the playing XI, it could be a make-or-break game for the youngster. Speaking in his latest YouTube video, the cricketer-turned-commentator remarked:
"Sarfaraz Khan will have to make the most of this chance because when Virat Kohli returns, someone will have to go out. So, he cannot afford to waste this opportunity. He has worked very hard and piled up a lot of runs in domestic cricket."
Sarfaraz Khan averages 69.85 in first-class cricket and has proved his mettle at the domestic level with consistent performances. The right-handed batter registered scores of 55 and 161 in his last two innings for India 'A' in the unofficial Tests against England Lions.
Commenting on India's batting lineup in the absence of Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul, Harbhajan expressed worry over the inexperience of most batters. He said:
"India's batting looks very weak. Rohit Sharma is the only experienced batter in the squad. After him, if you look at the stats, Ravichandran Ashwin has the most runs under his belt."
Suggesting that the Men in Blue unit would have looked a lot stronger in former captain Virat Kohli's presence, he added:
"There is a lack of experience in this Indian batting lineup. The batting would have looked a lot stronger had Virat Kohli been there. The likes of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer have also struggled to get going lately."
It is worth mentioning that Virat Kohli was initially named in the squad for the first two Tests of the ongoing five-match home series against England. However, he later opted out of the first two fixtures, citing personal reasons.
"It is getting more and more complicated for India" - Harbhajan Singh on Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul being ruled out of 2nd Test
Harbhajan Singh further stated that the absence of Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul will have a big impact on India's chances, given that they were among the top performers in the Test series opener.
"Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul were in great form. If you deduct their contributions from the first Test, imagine what would have been the case. It is getting more and more complicated for India, as there is still no clarity over their return," the 43-year-old added.
Jadeja suffered a hamstring injury in the Hyderabad Test, while Rahul complained of pain in his right quadriceps. The hosts have added Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, and Sourabh Kumar as reinforcements.
England lead the five-match series 1-0. The second Test will be played at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam from February 2.