Former Indian cricket team batter Mohammad Kaif believes that Sarfaraz Khan should be a part of the playing XI for the first Test match against Sri Lanka starting August 15. Sarfaraz was included in the squad after Sai Sudharsan was ruled out due to injury.
While Sarfaraz last played for the national team back in 2024, Kaif argued that he can be an asset for the team management in the spin-friendly conditions in Galle. The ex-India star went on to suggest that the team management has shown immense trust on Dhruv Jurel in the past and it can be time to show confidence in Sarfaraz as well.
“If they follow the trend of backing the players who have already been playing for the team, then they might say, ‘Jurel has been with us already. He hasn’t scored consistently, but we will back him because he has already been part of the team.’ If that is the approach, then Sarfaraz will have to wait. But if you ask me what the best XI is, Sarfaraz’s name comes into my best XI because of his ability to play spin at No. 5 or No. 6. His record against spin is excellent,” Kaif said on YouTube.
Kaif went on to explain that Sarfaraz tends to attack spinners quite efficiently – a gameplan that can prove effective in Galle and added that his style of batting allows him to score runs even when the ball is turning sharply.
“He also has a wide range of shots. When you get to the fourth or fifth day, batting becomes more difficult, and that is where a player like Sarfaraz Khan can be very useful. Players like him are very good at playing the field. He knows how to use sweeps and reverse sweeps effectively. He can hit over extra cover, he is good off the back foot and he attacks spin,” he added.
Kaif suggested that Jurel’s form has not been quite impressive off late and as a result, he can make way for Sarfaraz. Jurel has scored 478 runs in 10 Test matches and has not played a big knock in quite some time.
“Look, I can understand that India have played well, but Jurel’s recent Test record and form haven’t been that great. Whether you talk about the innings against Afghanistan or the game against South Africa, he got out there as well. Even before that, he wasn’t scoring runs consistently. There were five or six innings where he didn’t get a substantial score,” he concluded.