Safaraz Khan received his first India call-up ahead of the second Test against England starting on February 2 in Visakhapatnam. India lost the first Test by 28 runs and are behind in the series.
Sarfaraz along with Washington Sundar and Saurabh Kumar were added to the Indian team after KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja were ruled out due to injury problems. Sarfaraz replaced Rahul, while Sundar and Saurabh replaced Jadeja.
The Mumbai batsman has scored many goals in domestic cricket in the last few years but was still kept out of the team due to his fitness. This became a hot topic once he was ruled out of the home Test series against Australia in 2023.
Over the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, he has been nothing short of extraordinary. In the 2022-23 season, he amassed 556 runs in six games, at an impressive average of 92.66, which included three centuries. The previous season witnessed even more staggering figures, with Sarfaraz amassing 982 runs at a staggering average of 122.75.
His first-class cricket average is a formidable 69.6, further underlining his reliability with the bat. In the 2020 Ranji Trophy season, Sarfaraz scored 928 runs in just 6 matches, including three hundreds: 301 not out. The 25-year-old scored 96 in the practice match against the England Lions and followed it up with a fifty in the first unofficial Test. The batsman scored 161 runs off 160 balls in the second unofficial match of 4 days against the England Lions.
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Thanks to his knock, India A won the match by an innings and 16 runs. In 45 first-class matches, Sarfaraz scored 3912 runs at an average of 69.85 and a strike rate of 70.48 with 14 centuries and 11 half-centuries to his name. In January 2020, he achieved his highest score in domestic cricket – an unbeaten 301 in a Ranji Trophy match against UP.
Meanwhile, Sarfaraz added a photo of him and his father on his Instagram story to celebrate the moment. His father in a viral video clip thanked several people related to Sarfaraz’s career. The second Test begins in Vizag on February 2.
Watch: Sarfaraz Khan’s father’s emotional reaction to his son being called up for the first time in India
With a mountain of runs under his belt, he is looking to break into the XI as KL Rahul and Virat Kohli will miss the next Test. Rahul was ruled out of the second Test after complaining of pain in his right quadriceps. Jadeja, for her part, was ruled out with a hamstring injury. Kohli was no longer available in the first two Tests due to personal reasons.
Mr. Ravindra Jadeja and Mr. KL Rahul have been ruled out of the IDFC First Bank Second Test against England in Vizag, starting February 2, 2024. Jadeja suffered a hamstring injury during the game on day 4 of the first Test in Hyderabad, while Rahul complained of right quadriceps pain. The BCCI medical team is monitoring the progress of the duo. The Men’s Selection Committee has added Sarfaraz Khan, Sourabh Kumar and Washington Sundar to the team India,” read the BCCI statement.
India team for the second test against England
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, Sourabh Kumar
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