New Delhi: India head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed on Wednesday that young stars Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan will not be included in the XI playing for the first Test against Bangladesh starting on September 19, Thursday in Chennai. The two-Test series between India and Bangladesh begins at the iconic M.A Chidambaram Stadium before the action moves to Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium for the second Test.
Both Sarfaraz and Jurel impressed in the home series against England earlier this year slamming superb half-centuries. The impressive starts to their Test careers were enough for the selectors to pick both youngsters in the squad for Bangladesh Tests but weren’t enough to be considered in the playing XI for the Chennai Test.
India coach Gambhir confirmed the development in the press conference in Chennai on Wednesday by praising the quality of both Jurel and Pant and confirming that both youngsters will have to wait for the opportunities.
“We don’t drop anyone. We just pick the players who fit the XI. We believe in selecting the XI. Jurel is a phenomenal player when Pant is coming in, sometimes people have to wait. Same with Sarfaraz. There will be opportunities and you have to wait,” said Gambhir in the pre-match press conference in Chennai.
Return of Pant, Rahul forces India to rejig the team
Sarfaraz, who joined the Indian team in Chennai on Monday, will make way for returning KL Rahul, Sarfaraz was the last player to arrive in Chennai after participating in the second round of the Duleep Trophy match in Anantapur. The right-handed trained with the team at Chepauk after arriving directly from Anantapur.
With Rahul not in the scheme of things earlier this year, Sarfaraz impressed with three half-centuries against England. Meanwhile, Jurel was given the opportunity in the absence of Pant, who was recovering from a horrific accident. The young batter scored a resilient half-century to take India to victory in the 4th Test of the series.
Pant returned to action in the Indian Premier League 2024 before joining making his international comeback in the T20 World Cup 2024. He recently played domestic red-ball cricket in the Duleep Trophy to get much-needed practice for the Bangladesh Tests.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed the development during the press conference in Chennai on Wednesday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
