Sarfaraz Khan finally gets much-deserved maiden call up for Indian team as two key players get ruled out of 2nd Test against England

Sarfaraz Khan has scored 2466 runs in the past three Ranji seasons.

Sarfaraz Khan finally gets much-deserved maiden call up for Indian team as two key players get ruled out of 2nd Test against England

Sarfaraz Khan has been one of the best batters in the Ranji Trophy. (Image via ESPN)

On 28th January, India lost the first Test of their 5-match Test series as England bowled them up for 202 runs, just 29 runs short of the target. Despite the 1st innings lead of 190, a brilliant innings by Ollie Pope and 7 wickets in the 2nd innings by Tom Hartley ensured England a win. 

In further blows to India, two key players have been ruled out of the 2nd Test match, which will be played in Vizag. Ravindra Jadeja is out injured due to a hamstring injury, which he got while being run out, and KL Rahul is out due to pain in the right quadriceps. 

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The BCCI has called up three players to replace the injured duo. Washington Sundar and Saurabh Kumar return to the Test squad, while Sarfaraz Khan receives his maiden call-up. 

Khan has been one of India’s most prolific run-scorers in the Ranji Trophy In the past few years. In the past three Ranji seasons, he scored 2466 runs in just 27 innings, with a batting average of 91.33. In the ongoing First Class series with England Lions, he scored 289 runs in four innings with an average of 72.25. 

Many people believed he was always overlooked due to his fitness issues, with Shreyas Iyer being preferred to bat at number five. Now he has finally received his maiden call-up thanks to consistent performances in the domestic circuit. Although he has been called up, his selection in the playing XI isn’t yet confirmed. 

Related: “Clown management”- Twitterati slams BCCI for ignoring Sarfaraz Khan as a standby player for WTC Final

What will India’s playing XI be at Vizag? 

With KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja out, the team management now has to find out the correct combination for the 2nd Test in Vizag. Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid now need to find the perfect replacements for the batters at number four and a spinner.

Indian Cricket Team
The Indian Cricket Team will have a selection headache ahead of the 2nd Test (Image via ESPN)

Rajat Patidar, who was called up as Virat Kohli’s replacement, might get his Test debut. Sarfaraz Khan will probably stay on the bench as well. 

To replace Jadeja, the team has three spin options in the squad. Kuldeep Yadav last played a Test in 2022 against Bangladesh, where he picked up 8 wickets and scored 40 runs. Washington Sundar last played a Test in 2021, when England toured India, scoring 181 runs in four innings. He also scored a fifty in the recent India A match against England Lions.

Saurabh Kumar has been one of the best all-rounders in the Ranji Trophy, performing with both bat and ball. He recently scored a fifty and took a fifer against England Lions. 

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