Domestic cricket king Sarfaraz Khan was presented with his first national Test cap by the legendary Anil Kumble before the third Test against England on Thursday, February 15. Despite waiting on the sidelines for an extended period, the ongoing injury crisis has provided him with the opportunity for his long-awaited international debut.
Sarfaraz Khan Is Finally Making His Test Debut
Even though he consistently scored runs in domestic cricket, Sarfaraz was repeatedly overlooked by selectors despite having numerous chances in the past. This often left him frustrated, but he persevered and kept performing well. Eventually, his consistent form paid off, earning him his first opportunity to play for the national team.
Sarfaraz Khan was on the verge of making his debut in the second Test of the series in Vishakapatnam, but the team management decided to go with fellow domestic player Rajat Patidar instead.
However, with Shreyas Iyer now unavailable, Sarfaraz Khan got the nod ahead of Devdutt Padikkal to make his Test debut. In addition to Sarfaraz, Team India also chose to give a debut to wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who replaced KS Bharat in the side. This decision was made to strengthen the team’s middle order and wicketkeeping department for the crucial match against England.
Rohit Sharma also consoled Sarfaraz’s father:
Sarfaraz’s Father – Dhyan rakhna uska
Rohit Sharma – Haan bilkul bilkul
– Such a gentleman 😭❤️#RohitSharma𓃵 #SarfarazKhan pic.twitter.com/FSyxi7j2jD— Neha Dubey45❤️ (@NehaDubey178475) February 15, 2024
Meanwhile, fans on social media were happy to see the young batter finally achieving success after years of hard work in domestic cricket. His father’s emotional reaction on the sidelines perfectly captured the moment.
Check out some of the reactions:
Meanwhile, in the third Test, Team India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bat first. The home team made significant changes to their lineup, bringing in Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Siraj. These players replaced KS Bharat, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, and Mukesh Kumar, respectively. This move aimed to strengthen the team’s batting and bowling departments for the crucial match against England.
Speaking at the toss, Rohit said: “We’re going to bat first. We’ve made some changes, made four changes. Some injuries and some guys coming back from the last game. Two debutants. Siraj and Jadeja are back. Axar Patel and Mukesh Kumar miss out. Looks a good pitch, better than the last two we’ve played on. Rajkot is known to be a good pitch but it’ll deteriorate as it goes. The guys have stood up and done the job for the team when it was needed. The next three Test matches will be as exciting as the first two. Need to keep our focus here and see how we can do well.”
Playing XIs for the 3rd IND vs ENG Test:
INDIA: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
ENGLAND: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes(c), Ben Foakes(w), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson
