New Delhi: Sarfaraz Khan is reportedly set to be pipped by the seasoned KL Rahul in India’s playing XI for the 1st Test against Bangladesh as the team management will prefer experience over flamboyance. Rohit Sharma-led India will resume their journey in the World Test Championship (WTC) when they host Bangladesh in a two-match Test series at home later this month.
The Indian players will attend a camp in Chennai before the start of the series to get into the Test mode. The first Test is all set to get underway at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on September 19. BCCI on Sunday announced India’s squad for the 1st Test with the likes of Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Rahul making their comebacks.
Rahul was replaced by Sarfaraz during India’s Test series at home against England earlier this year after suffering an injury. In his absence, Sarfaraz did well in the series to retain his spot in the Test squad. However, the youngster is not the first choice for the Indian team management ahead of the two-match series against Bangladesh.
As per a report in PTI, the Indian team management will prefer Rahul over Sarfaraz due to experience. Rahul, who has also served as India’s Test captain, has been with the Test setup for a decade now and has played numerous crucial innings for the team.
“For people on the outside, they don’t understand how a team works and what are the systems in place. In his last three Test matches, KL scored a century in South Africa, one of the best Test knocks in recent times and 86 at Hyderabad in the last Test he played before injury,” a source was quoted as saying by PTI.
“He was not dropped but got injured. So, he is fit and available, scored a fifty in Duleep, got match time and he will start,” added the source.
KL Rahul’s performance in Duleep Trophy
Rahul was part of the India A team in the first round of the ongoing Duleep Trophy. The right-hander scored 37 runs in the first innings and followed it up with a valiant 57-run knock in the second innings. Rahul was the lone warrior for India A in their run-chase against India B in their second innings but failed to get them over the line as the Shubman Gill-led side lost the game by 76 runs.
On the other hand, Sarfaraz was part of the India A team and scored 9 and 46 runs in the two innings respectively.
Sarfaraz Khan is unlikely to be the first choice selection in India’s middle order for the series opener against Bangladesh with KL Rahul likely to get preference over him due to his experience. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
