Sarfaraz Khan set to make his Test debut as KL Rahul declared unfit for 3rd Test against England

After the first leg of the five-match test series between India and England, the series stays level at 1-1. As the 9-day break is coming to its end, the teams have started assembling for the remaining three matches at Rajkot. 

India has also announced their squad for the remaining matches and there have been some notable inclusions and exclusions in the squad which have taken the fans and many cricket pundits by surprise. One of them has the inclusion of KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja in the squad. Both of them have been included in the squad but their availability is subject to their fitness. 

However, according to a recent development by Express Sports, KL Rahul has been declared unfit for the 3rd test at Rajkot. The Indian Cricket Board has roped in Karnataka’s Devdutt Padikkal as Rahuls’ replacement for the third test which gives a clean chit for Sarfaraz Khan to make his debut in Tests for India.

Sarfaraz Khan finally paid off for his hard work in the domestic circuit

It is a momentous occasion for Sarfaraz Khan as he finally reaped the rewards of his hard work at the domestic level over the last few years. In his last 36 first-class games, Sarfaraz has amassed 3380 runs at an average of 80.47, whereas in the last two Ranji seasons, he has churned 1,910 runs at an astonishing average of 136.42. 

These figures show the immense dedication of the youngster to make it to the Indian Test side and when finally, he is about to make his debut for his country, it is going to be a moment to remember for the rest of his life for the youngster.

There are also reports that the management will drop wicketkeeper KS Bharath in place of Rajasthan’s Dhruv Jurel. KS Bharath has been a flop show with the bat so far and hasn’t managed to score even a fifty in the 7 matches he has played so far which is why he has run out of favour.

Though India’s middle order looks highly inexperienced, Shubhman Gill’s century in the last test must have given some confidence to the Indian management. The 3rd test is set to be played in Rajkot from 15th February.