Naman Garg
BCCI is likely to release middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan from the Indian team for the upcoming Irani Cup clash between Mumbai and the Rest of India. Unless there is a last minute injury concern in the team, Sarfaraz will join Mumbai’s squad for the Irani Cup where his brother is expected to open the innings with Prithvi Shaw according to sources. This means Sarfaraz will have to wait for his chance as Indian management continues to back KL Rahul at number six.
India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar is keen that barring any last-minute injuries in the nets or fitness issues to any of the main batsmen in Team India, Sarfaraz should be released from the main squad to allow him to play in the Irani Cup. It takes just about an hour to reach Lucknow from Kanpur, so according to the sources Sarfaraz can leave for Lucknow even much after the Kanpur Test has begun. The annual fixture in India’s domestic season is set to be played from October 1 to 5 in Lucknow while the second Test between India and Bangladesh is scheduled to take place at Green Park in Kanpur from September 27. He would be feeling very disappointed as he could not make his place in the playing 11 of the Indian team.
Sarfaraz has scored tons of runs in domestic cricket and when he had got the chance to represent India he didn’t disappoint as he scored 3 fifty in 5 innings against a strong team like England. He has a wide range of shots and that too with an aggressive mindset which helps him to score runs at a quicker rate, that means he can throw opposition out of the game if he stays on the pitch for two to three hours. He is also a very technically sound batsman, who plays the ball close to his eyes which helps him to generate force in the strokes. Kl Rahul who is playing instead of Sarfaraz has a mediocre average around 35 in Test Cricket which raises question why team management selected him in the playing 11 consistently. Sarfaraz Khan has so far scored 4183 runs in 50 first-class matches at an average of 66.39 with 14 centuries and as many fifties to his name. He will be hoping to continue showing his skills with the bat and keep his good form going to break into the playing XI of the Indian team.
