Sarfaraz Khan missed the two-match Test series against Bangladesh in the previous month and wasn’t supposed to feature in the opening game of the New Zealand series, but a last-minute neck injury for Shubman Gill pushed his inclusion in the side since the end of the home Test series against England at the start of the year.
Sarfaraz made his debut in Rajkot during the third red-ball game of the five-match series against the Ben Stokes-led side and thumped 200 runs in five innings at an average of 50, shouldering on three half-centuries at a best score of unbeaten 68 runs. But because KL Rahul made his comeback in the side, he replaced him straightaway into the team.
Coming into this three-match Test series against New Zealand, the Mumbai-batter celebrated a double century for the Mumbai side against the Rest of India during the Irani Cup 2024 at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
Also Read: Rishabh Pant Praised By Gautam Gambhir; Dhurv Jurel And Sarfaraz Khan’s Exclusion From India XI Confirmed
With the injury of Gill, the Indian management decided to promote all of their batters to one place. Virat Kohli came at number three, while Sarfaraz Khan walked into the middle at number four. The first innings, where captain Rohit Sharma decided to bat first on a four-day wet surface under murky conditions, proved to go against them.
Basit Ali wants India to retain Sarfaraz Khan and drop KL Rahul
The home side was bundled out for their third-lowest innings total, 46, the lowest in India by a huge distance, the contribution of the 26-year-old was a duck in the scoreboard. In the same innings, KL Rahul also got a duck.
However, after conceding a lead of over 350 runs, the requirement for the Blue Brigade was to bat with high skills in the second innings and show some character. When Sarfaraz Khan walked into the middle in the third innings of the game, the hosts were two down for under 100 runs.
He put up a vital 136-run stand for the third wicket with Virat and remained unbeaten on 70 runs at the end of the third day’s play. On the first session of the fourth day, Sarfaraz notched up his maiden Test century and went on to stretch it up to 150.
On the flip of the coin, the home-boy Rahul failed again and went on to put the team under pressure in their second innings with the bat. The former Pakistan batter, Basit Ali, has urged the Indian management to retain Sarfaraz for the second Test and drop Rahul.
“Once Shubman Gill is fit, there should not be an injustice to Sarfaraz Khan. KL Rahul should be rested now. People rate him very highly, but his performances haven’t been like that. He did very well in South Africa but hasn’t done the same in home matches.” Basit expressed this in a video, expressed on his YouTube channel.
The veteran felt that when the partnership between Sarfaraz and Rishabh Pant broke, it was important for Rahul to continue scoring runs, but he struggled against the pace and bounce of William O’Rourke.
Also Read: Virat Kohli Becomes 4th Indian Batter To Celebrate This Milestone In 1st Test vs New Zealand
“A lot depended on KL Rahul after Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant got out. He has played a lot of Test matches and is everyone’s favorite. However, he disappointed me today.” He added.
The second Test of the series will take place on October 24 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, and India needs to give deep thought to making a comeback in the series.
