Sarfaraz Khan’s impressive Test debut against England earlier this year has not yet translated into a permanent spot in the Indian Test XI. Despite his double century for Mumbai in the Irani Cup, KL Rahul’s crucial runs in the two Tests against Bangladesh have kept Sarfaraz on the sidelines.
Former India cricketer and ex-selector Jatin Paranjape believes that Sarfaraz should remain patient and continue to perform. “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,” Paranjape said.
Paranjape also suggested that Sarfaraz could be taken to Australia as a reserve player for the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy. “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’s squad for the three Tests against New Zealand includes 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, and Akash Deep.
The three-Test series against New Zealand begins in Bengaluru on October 16, followed by matches in Pune and Mumbai.
