Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar are the two individuals in line to replace Rahul in the team. Legendary batsman AB de Villiers of South Africa also weighed in on the question of who should get a shot between Patidar and Sarfaraz, saying that the latter is deserving of one because of his exceptional first-class record.
Indian cricket fans are excitedly awaiting the announcement of the Rohit Sharma-led team’s starting lineup for the second Test against England, which is scheduled to start in Visakhapatnam on February 2. Notably, with both players sidelined due to injuries, India would be looking for perfect substitutes for KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja in the second Test.
For me, it’s just really thrilling. He has an incredible record in first-class cricket, and he is one of the guys who most definitely deserves it. With an average of 69.85, he has played 66 innings and driven in 3912 runs. “Guys, 14 hundreds and 11 fifties is not normal,” the former captain of South Africa stated on his YouTube account.
Notably, Sarfaraz Khan has been robbing runs in the Ranji Trophy since 2019. In the 2019–20 season, he amassed 928 runs from nine innings at an average of 154.66, including three hundred and two fifties. To further support his inclusion in the Indian team, he hammered 982 runs at an average of 122.75 and 556 runs from nine innings at an average of 92.66 in the next two seasons.
Regarding Sarfaraz Khan’s domestic record even further, de Villiers said that playing England in an international cricket match will be a significant step up for him.
“That is an excellent performance in the first class. Rajat Patidar has also been playing well, so even though it’s a big step up to play international cricket against England on the biggest stage, I hope he gets an opportunity,” de Villiers said.
In 2015, Sarfaraz Khan made IPL history as the youngest player.
Notably, during the Indian Premier League (IPL), de Villiers played for Royal Challengers Bangalore alongside both Sarfaraz and Patidar. The former made headlines in 2015 when, at 17, he became the league’s youngest player to compete in the lucrative competition.
He made several excellent cameos in his first season, but he was cut from the team because he was unable to maintain his consistency in the subsequent seasons. But Sarfaraz Khan is about to make his debut for his country, and if he can secure his first cap, all the hard work he has put in throughout the past few years of playing domestic cricket will finally pay off.
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