Team India could be forced to make a number of changes to their playing eleven due to the absence and unavailability of some key players for the upcoming third IND vs ENG 2024 Test against England. Uncapped Sarfaraz Khan is reportedly set to make his debut in the crucial game, scheduled to be played in Rajkot.
India will be without the likes of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul for the game. While Kohli is already ruled out of the entire series due to personal reasons, Rahul is yet to recover from the quadricep strain he sustained in the first Test. The selectors have added uncapped Devdutt Padikkal to the squad as Rahul’s replacement. Shreyas Iyer has also been dropped from the Test team after his recent failures in red-ball cricket.
And it would not be very surprising if Team India have a new-look middle-order for the third Test. According to a report from the Indian Express, Sarfaraz Khan is in line to make his much-anticipated debut in Test in the forthcoming game. The right-handed batsman has scored heavily in domestic cricket in recent years, averaging over 100 for three successive seasons and is finally set to be rewarded.
“Sarfaraz will be making his debut. As KL has been ruled out for this Test, Sarfaraz will be getting his first game,” a source told the news outlet.
While he was expected to play the second Test after Rahul was ruled out, the team-management decided to hand a debut to Rajat Patidar. He is now finally set to make his international debut and would be desperate to hit the ground running.
Sarfaraz Khan not the only change:
Sarfaraz Khan is not the only player who is reportedly set to make his debut in the forthcoming Test. As per reports, wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel is also set to find a place in the team. With KS Bharat failing to prove himself with the bat in international cricket, the team-management is set to hand Jurel a chance to prove himself at the highest stage of the game.
The five-match series is currently locked at 1-1. England won the first Test by 28 runs before India bounced back to win the second game by 106 runs and draw level in the series. The third Test is scheduled to begin from February 15.