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Shubman Gill and Sarfaraz Khan (Source - Twitter)
Team India is all set to face England in the second Test match, slated to take place on February 2. Notably, Rohit Sharma and Co. lost the first Test game despite getting a 190-run lead in the first innings of the match, but the side failed to continue the momentum made them lose the game in the second innings.
However, Team India slipped to fifth place in the World Test Championship Cycle following the loss, but they will be looking to take up the top two spots to be in the finals of WTC 2025 after getting successfully placed in WTC 2021 and WTC 2023. Notably, Sarfaraz Khan has gotten the nod in the Test after KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja were ruled out of the forthcoming Test owing to injuries they sustained in Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, there has been a lot of ongoing debate about why Sarfaraz Khan should be able to make the second Test in place of Shubman Gill. India's young opening batter Gill failed to perform in the first Test as he departed after scoring just 22 and 0 runs in the first and second innings against Engalnd, respectively.
Here are a few reasons why Sarfaraz Khan should be in the playing XI over Shubman Gill in the second Test
Sarfaraz Khan has collected tremendous totals over the last three Ranji tournaments. However, as a batter, his bravery is what sets him apart. The 26-year-old cricketer attacks his opponents without mercy and has no problem taking risks. Talking about his stats, Sarfaraz Khan played in 45 first-class games and amassed 3912 runs at a stellar 69.85 average.
Moreover, since 2020, Sarfaraz Khan's first-class average is 82.45. This is a remarkable achievement, and it is alarming to see that selectors overlooked these numbers for so long. Noteworthy performances include smashing 928 runs in just 9 innings during the 2019–20 season and an impressive 982 runs at an average of 122.75 in the 2021–22 season. His contributions were instrumental in Mumbai reaching the final, despite eventually losing to Madhya Pradesh.