Sarfaraz Khan was never meant to play the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand, despite his record 222 in the Irani Cup earlier this month for Mumbai. He did make an impressive debut for India in the Test series against England at the start of 2024, scoring three fifties in five innings. Yet, with KL Rahul back in the format, India backed the experienced batter with an eye on the preparations for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, and Sarfaraz warmed the bench in the home series against Bangladesh last month.
However, with Shubman Gill suffering a stiff neck on the eve of the first Test against Tom Latham’s men, a position in the middle order opened up, and Sarfaraz grabbed it with both hands. Bouncing back from a dismissal for duck in the first innings, the right-hander roared to a maiden century on Day 4 of the match in Bengaluru which helped India close the first innings deficit to just 12 runs at Lunch.
While most hailed the Mumbai batter for his match-reviving knock under pressure, many reckoned the triple-figure score put Rahul, who is yet to bat in this innings, under pressure and on the verge of losing a spot in the line-up if he fails to perform later in the match, especially with India expected to have Gill fit for the second Test against New Zealand.
Rahul, like Sarfaraz, was dismissed for a duck in the first innings in Bengaluru, although he did manage a knock of 68 at No. 6 for India in the second Test against Bangladesh last week.
Here are some of the tweets…
‘KL Rahul will be the one under most pressure’
It’s not just the fans on social media, veteran India batter Manoj Tiwary reckoned the same after watching Sarfaraz carve out a counter-attacking knock on Day 3 of the opening Test, where he ended on an unbeaten 70, while stitching a 136-run stand alongside former captain Virat Kohli.
Speaking to Cricbuzz after Day 3 proceedings, Tiwary reckoned that Gill would be an automatic selection for No. 3 role when he recovers for the second Test next week, having notched up a ton against Bangladesh last month, which could leave the team management with no option but to drop Rahul following a maiden international hundred from Sarfaraz.
“You cannot remove Shubman Gill as of now because he scored a hundred in the previous series and he also has a very good record. When he recovers from his stiff neck, he will become an automatic choice. KL Rahul will be the one under most pressure,” Tiwary said.
“Even if Rahul doesn’t score runs in the next two Tests, he will still get preference for the initial Tests in Australia. But, if he doesn’t perform there as well, then Sarfaraz could come into the playing XI. I feel Sarfaraz should also get a fair opportunity. It is good that the players who are in the reserves are performing. There will definitely be pressure on some players in the playing XI,” he added.
