Sri Lanka Cricket XI: Former India batter WV Raman said he would prefer Sarfaraz Khan over Dhruv Jurel in the side’s playing eleven for the first Test against Sri Lanka, starting in Galle on Saturday, citing the visitors' need for a frontline batter in the middle order who can attack the hosts' spin bowling line-up.
India must fill two vacant batting slots from a pool of three players in Devdutt Padikkal, Jurel and Sarfaraz as they open their series against Sri Lanka. With Padikkal expected to seal the number three spot in B Sai Sudharsan’s absence, the remaining contest is between Jurel and Sarfaraz.
"I would tend to think in a Test match, you will have to go for the specialist. Dhruv Jurel has done well as a wicketkeeper-batter. He gets some runs. But this man has also done well. The young boy, Sarfaraz Khan. So, I think if you have picked him in the side as a specialist batter for Test cricket, I would rather tend to go with him.
"But he is also a very good player of spin. He can be an attacking option. The other thing that he will bring to the table is that he is also a good close-in catcher, and that is perhaps something that you would need, especially if Sri Lanka dishes out a turning track," Raman told IANS in an exclusive conversation, facilitated by Sony Sports Network, on Thursday.
Both Jurel and Sarfaraz made their Test debut against England at Rajkot in February 2024, and their journeys have been very different since. Jurel has been a regular in the set-up as a wicketkeeping back-up to Rishabh Pant, while also playing as a specialist batter occasionally.
A much-fitter Sarfaraz, meanwhile, was called up as a replacement for the injured Sudharsan, thus marking his return to the side after being unused in the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia.
Raman also backed Padikkal to bat at number three, after scoring a sparkling unbeaten 142 from that position in a three-day warm-up against Sri Lanka Cricket XI at the NCC Ground in Colombo. "It will be very tempting to try and see other options as well. But I think Padikkal deserves to play, especially when you consider the fact that he is a top-order batter.
“He is rated as a very good red-ball cricketer and a left-hander at three will come in handy - that's a no-brainer at all. He has got the temperament. He has churned out enough runs in all formats. I think just to put it in one line, he has done enough to warrant a place in the eleven," he added.
Shubman Gill-led India are under pressure to win both Tests in the series to stay in contention for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, where they are in the fifth spot in the standings, and are expected to finalise their batting combination in the coming days.
“He is rated as a very good red-ball cricketer and a left-hander at three will come in handy - that's a no-brainer at all. He has got the temperament. He has churned out enough runs in all formats. I think just to put it in one line, he has done enough to warrant a place in the eleven," he added.
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