NEW DELHI: Even after an impressive debut Test series vs England earlier this year, Sarfaraz Khan has had to wait for a chance in the XI. India played KL Rahul in the two Tests vs Bangladesh and Sarfaraz was released to play Irani Cup for Mumbai. The middle-order batter hit a double hundred for Mumbai and Rahul too got crucial runs in the two Tests for India.
Both players are now part of India Test squad for New Zealand series and it remains to be seen whether Sarfaraz gets a game in the three Tests.Former India cricketer and ex-selector Jatin Paranjape wants Sarfaraz to let his bat do the talking and wait for his opportunity.
“There is nothing unfair about Sarfaraz’s situation. He was playing because someone else was injured. The competition for batting spots is so intense that, unfortunately, someone will always miss out. But for the guy who misses out, what can he do? He can just keep scoring runs, and Sarfaraz has been doing that in the Irani Cup. He needs to stay in good form, maintain his fitness, and his chances will come,” Paranjape told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.
Sarfaraz Khan (AP Photo)
The former selector has a feeling that Sarfaraz could be in the reserves for the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia too.
“I feel he might also be taken to Australia as a reserve player. But it’s just one of those things—you can only play eleven players, and the best eleven get selected. It’s not that he isn’t good enough; it’s just that there’s a lot of competition for those spots right now,” he added.
India begin the three-Test series vs New Zealand in Bengaluru on October 16 before action shifts to Pune and Mumbai for the next two Tests.
India’s squad for the three Tests against New Zealand:
Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep
