IND vs ENG | Sarfaraz Khan gets maiden Test call-up in wake of KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja injuries
Domestic sensation Sarfaraz Khan has been included in the Indian squad for the second Test in Vizag alongside Washington Sundar and Saurabh Kumar. BCCI announced the changes after KL Rahul complained of pain in the quadriceps while Ravindra Jadeja damaged his hamstring on Day 4 in Hyderabad.
‌Sarfaraz Khan had been waiting in the wings for several years having scored first-class runs at an average exceeding 80 since 2020 but was overlooked in the past for the likes of Rajat Patidar and Suryakumar Yadav. However, the call-up finally came as a cover for KL Rahul with the 26-year-old scoring 96 in a tour game for India A against England Lions to kick off the new year before managing scores of 4, 55, and 161 against them in the two unofficial Tests. Sarfaraz's first-class record reads 3,912 runs at an average of 69.85 and a strike rate of 70.48.
Off-spinner Washington Sundar and left-arm orthodox Saurabh Kumar also made it to the squad as potential cover-ups for Ravindra Jadeja. The veteran had hurt his right hamstring while unsuccessfully attempting to avoid a run-out in the second innings of the first Test and eventually hobbled off the field wincing in pain. Sundar has already represented India in three Tests, scoring three half-centuries in six innings but only managing six wickets in the process. Saurabh, meanwhile, would be a part of the Indian contingent for the first time after impressing with a 77 in the latest encounter against England Lions and backing it up with a five-wicket haul to secure an innings win. The Uttar Pradesh all-rounder boasts a first-class batting average of 27.11 and a bowling average of 24.41 with 290 wickets in 68 games, including 22 fifers and eight 10-wicket hauls.
Sarfaraz is one of two options, alongside Rajat Patidar, available to India to hand a Test debut in the second test beginning February 2 in Vizag while Kuldeep Yadav is the frontrunner to slot in for Jadeja unless Rahul Dravid and co. opt to field an all-rounder instead.
India's updated Squad for 2nd Test vs England: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, Saurabh Kumar.
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