Sarfaraz Khan received his maiden India call-up on Monday (January 29). The Mumbai batter was added to India squad for the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam beginning on February 2 after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul were ruled out of the second Test. While Jadeja sustained a hamstring injury during Day 4 of the first Test match in Hyderabad, Rahul complained of quadriceps pain.
This means selection doors finally opened for Sarfaraz who has been constantly proving himself with consistent performances in the domestic setup. The 26-year-old was elated on getting the opportunity to be part of the Rohit Sharma-led side. The Mumbai cricketer shared a story on Instagram featuring himself and his father Naushad Khan. The two are visibly happy in the picture with 'Badal Pe Paon Hain' song from the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer movie Chak De India playing in the background.
Sarfaraz Khan Breaks Open Selection Door Through Consistent Performances
Sarfaraz has been outstanding in Ranji Trophy over the last few seasons. Overall, he has played 45 first-class matches and averages nearly 70 in them with the help of 14 centuries and 11 half-centuries. He has amassed 3912 runs in 66 innings at a healthy strike rate of 70.48. His record in the last couple of seasons in the Ranji Trophy has been even more splendid. While he scored 556 runs in six matches in the 2022-23 season, averaging 92.66, in the 2021-22 season he had put on 982 runs at an average of 122.75.
It doesn't come as a surprise then that Sarfaraz has been picked as a replacement with Jadeja and Rahul missing out. Moreover, with Virat Kohli having already made himself unavailable for the first two Test matches against England, Sarfaraz may even be in with a chance to make his debut. Sourabh Kumar and Washington Sundar are the other two players added to India's squad for the second Test match while Rajat Patidar had been named as Kohli's replacement.