Sarfaraz Khan to play second round of Duleep Trophy despite being included in India’s squad for series against Bangladesh
Photo: AP
Kris Srikanth has expressed his support for the experienced batsman KL Rahul to maintain his position at number 5 instead of Sarfaraz Khan in the first Test match against Bangladesh, which begins on September 19 in Chennai. Rahul, who played the opening Test match against England earlier this year, was sidelined for the remainder of the five-match series due to injury.
”Honestly, I feel bad for Sarfaraz Khan. But this happens, sometimes, in Test cricket. You would have been playing well, but when a big player comes back, you will have to lose your place. Take Rishabh Pant’s return for example, so Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan are losing their places. KL Rahul is coming in,” he said on his YouTube channel.
The former star batsman believes that with the upcoming tour of Australia on the horizon, KL Rahul is likely to be the favourite over Sarfaraz Khan to be selected.
“In the back of their minds, they also have the Australia series in mind. New Zealand is also coming up. KL Rahul has performed well overseas, in Australia he has done well,” Srikkanth said.
Both batsmen faced off during the opening match of the 2024 Duleep Trophy when India A took on India B in Bengaluru. Representing India A, Rahul contributed scores of 37 and 57 in a match where the 300-run mark was breached just once in four innings. On the other hand, Sarfaraz managed just 9 in his first innings but made amends with a vital 36-ball 46 in the second, helping India B set a challenging target of 275. Despite Rahul’s determined half-century in the final innings, India A succumbed to a 76-run defeat.
The top four spots are secured with Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, while Rishabh Pant is expected to take the No. 6 spot as a wicket-keeper. This leaves only the No. 5 spot available, which is likely to be contested by KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan.
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