India vs England: Sarfaraz Khan's perseverance pays off with maiden call-up

Sarfaraz Khan, Saurabh Kumar and Washington Sundar have been added to India’s squad for the second Test versus England. BCCI made the inclusions after KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja were ruled out due to injuries . With KL Rahul suffering a hamstring injury, Sarfaraz Khan stands out among the trio of individuals for his maiden India call-up. The 26-year-old put in an impressive performance against the England Lions in a four-day unofficial Test in Ahmedabad. He bagged the Player of the Match accolade after scoring 161 runs off 160 balls with the help of 18 fours and five sixes. Helped by his century, India ‘A’ won by an innings and 16 runs. In 45 first-class matches, Sarfaraz has scored 3912 runs at an average of 69.85 at a strike-rate of 70.48 with 14 centuries and 11 half-centuries. Sarfaraz’s top score stands at 301-not-out when Mumbai took on Uttar Pradesh in a Ranji Trophy match in January 2020 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. In the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy season, Sarfaraz hammered 982 runs at an average of 122.75 with four hundreds and two fifties. While last season Sarfaraz smashed 556 runs in six games at an average of 92.66 with three hundreds. At one stage in 2023, he had the second highest average in first-class cricket at 80.47, just behind the legendary Sir Don Bradman. After being overlooked for the Australia series in 2023, Sarfaraz shared some stats on his Instagram handle. The first one was his Ranji Trophy where he struck 2436 runs in 30 innings at an average of 110.73. The second showed his batting average in First-Class cricket of 80.47. Sarfaraz’s Mumbai teammate Suryakumar Yadav took to Instagram to congratulate him, “Maiden India call-up. Utsav ki taiyaarri karo (prepare for festivities),” wrote Surya in a story.

He waited for so long - First reaction of his father
उसके दर में देर है अंधेर नहीं #SarfarazKhan pic.twitter.com/OXZxm8Vbol

— Rohit Juglan (@rohitjuglan) January 29, 2024

A proud father Naushad Khan said, “I want to thank everyone, specially Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) where Sarfaraz grew, the National Cricket Academy (NCA) where he earned experience, BCCI for trusting in him and the selector as well. The supporters also for praying for his selection. We all hope he plays well for the country and contributes to India’s wins. That’s all I wish for.”