Before India’s second Test with England that’s set to kickoff this Friday, January 2, in Visakhapatnam, they are grappling with team selection quandaries.
Injuries hit the team hard with KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja bowing out of the second Test. The BCCI sought reinforcements by bringing onboard Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, and Saurabh Kumar. This roster transformation was initiated when Rajat Patidar stepped in for Virat Kohli in the first two Tests.
There is, of course, a probability that Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan would appear in Vizag. Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill have had poor returns in red-ball cricket recently, and Rahul may not be the only player ousted.
However, India is unlikely to give out too many caps in a crucial match like the second Test. It might potentially come down to a shootout between the two uncapped players, both of whom have reasons to be chosen.
Who is a better choice for India’s XI in the second Test: Rajat Patidar or Sarfaraz Khan?
Sarfaraz Khan arguably deserves a Test cap more
It’s hard to make a call. Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan are in great form. This shows in their India A games.
Patidar’s scores are 111, 151, and 4 against England Lions. Sarfaraz Khan scored 96, 55, 4, and 161. Both players handle spin well and their performances are closely matched.
Patidar scored 33 runs in his sole red-ball appearance during the last South Africa trip. He also made his ODI debut with the Men in Blue. Sarfaraz, on the other hand, scored 34 and 68 runs in his two first-class outings. On recent form, they are as close as can be.
Patidar is a player who reached his best very late in his career. He is 30 years old, and his first-class average has lately surpassed 45 runs. The superb batter’s conversion rate of 22 fifties and 12 hundreds isn’t that outstanding either.
Sarfaraz, for his part, has been running for several years. His first-class average is an astonishing 69.85, and his strike rate of 70.48 is substantially greater than Patidar’s. More tellingly, the 26-year-old has 14 hundreds and 11 fifties, demonstrating that he has always had the ability to score huge runs.
Patidar was selected for the Test team before Sarfaraz, therefore he may be considered higher in the pecking order. However, the latter earned a Test call-up long before he received one, as he had been pounding on the door with his sheer volume of runs.
Batting position may also be a factor. If Gill is dropped and India needs someone to fill in at No. 3, Patidar may be a more obvious choice because he has lately batted at that position for India A.
In contrast, Sarfaraz has nearly always batted at No. 4 or below in red-ball cricket. There have been reports that his aptitude against pace stopped him from being picked for the national team, but there is no evidence to show that he is any less adept against quicker bowlers.
Given that India requires a No. 4 batter following Rahul’s injury-forced absence, Sarfaraz should be the frontrunner. In fact, even if No. 3 is an open position, he is more than capable of occupying it.
Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan have both performed admirably recently, and there is nothing to distinguish between the two. However, it might be argued that the latter has more advantages and so deserves his first Test cap.