Can there be a better place to make one’s Test debut than Rajkot, especially if you are a batsman? India, whose batting line-up has been crippled by the absence of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, have given maiden Test caps to two of the promising batsmen in Indian conditions, one of them also donning the wicketkeeping gloves.
Mumbai’s 26-year-old right-handed batsman Sarfaraz Khan has forced his way into the Test 11 at the very venue where his city-mate Prithvi Shaw was also given his first Test cap, against West Indies in 2018-19. Shaw marked his Test debut with an attacking 134 before losing his way out of the Indian team. It is only a coincidence that Khan has taken the place of another Mumbaikar in the playing 11, Shreyas Iyer, who has been dropped for lack of runs in the first two Tests.
Long overude
Sarfaraz, for the volume of runs he has scored in domestic cricket, majorly for Mumbai, and for India ‘A’ – 3,912 runs at an average of nearly 70 and a strike rate of 70.48 – could not be ignored any further by the national selectors. Many thought Sarfaraz ought to have been given the India Test cap a season or two earlier, especially after the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy season in which he amassed 982 runs from nine innings at an average of 122.75 with four hundreds and two fifties including a high score of 275 against Saurashtra in Ahmedabad.
Khan can also be innovative with his strokes, playing the unorthodox style that is usually seen in T20 formats. As he has shown in the Visakhapatnam Test as a substitute for Shubman Gill on the fourth day, he can be a sharp fielder too, irrespective of his stocky appearance. He can even put to shame some of the fittest players when it comes to chasing the ball on the field.
It was an emotional moment for his father Naushad, who was present at the cap presentation ceremony to his son by none other than the legendary Anil Kumble. Now that Khan, India’s Test cap No. 312, has fulfilled his and his father’s dream, it is up to him to make a long career out of it.
As regards right-handed batsman and wicketkeeper Jurel, he has shown promise as a wicketkeeper-batsman, scoring consistently for his State Uttar Pradesh in the lower middle order and also keeping wickets admirably. Again, Rajkot is not a bad place to make his Test appearance and get a feel of the demands of the game at the highest level.
For, Rajkot is not one of those rank turners where even seasoned wicketkeepers are challenged. A good batting surface where the ball can turn but not viciously but gradually as the game wears on, Jurel can get into the groove slowly but surely against the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav; all different types of bowlers and with a lot of variations.
Jurel, at 23, showed initial promise in his maiden Ranji Trophy season in 2022-23, scoring 429 runs at 71.50 and a top-score of 249, albeit against Nagaland as an opener. Jurel also made his presence felt for Rajasthan Royals in his inaugural IPL season in 2023, scoring useful runs, most of them remaining unbeaten and at a strike rate of 172.73.
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Jurel replacing KS Bharat in the Test squad is a good initiation into the longer format and it was apt that he received his Test cap no. 311 from former India wicketkeeper and now television commentator Dinesh Karthik. Jurel’s first-class record is not bad, scoring 790 runs in 19 innings with one century and five fifties. He has taken 34 catches and effected 2 stumpings.
It is hoped that Khan and Jurel, though in their first Tests, will fulfil their roles as per expectations and not make India feel the absence of the experienced batsmen like Kohli and KL Rahul.
After all, this Indian batting line-up, though inexperienced at the highest level, has volumes of experience in Indian conditions and can give any opposition a run for their money with their vast knowledge of the conditions.
Go well, Sarfaraz and Dhruv!
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