IND vs ENG: AB de Villiers picks Sarfaraz Khan ahead of Rajat Patidar for second Test

The Indian cricket fans are eagerly waiting for the Rohit Sharma-led side to name their playing XI for the second Test against England beginning from February 02 in Visakhapatnam. Notably, India will be searching for ideal replacements for KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja in the second Test with both players ruled out due to injuries.

There are two men in contention to take Rahul’s spot with Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar both in line. Legendary South Africa batter AB de Villiers also weighed in his opinion regarding who should get a go between Patidar and Sarfaraz and stated that the latter deserves a chance due to his outstanding first class record.

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“It's just very exciting for me. His record in first-class cricket is quite outstanding, and if there's a guy that deserves it, it's certainly him. He has played 66 innings, 3912 runs, and an average of 69.85. 14 hundreds and 11 fifties, guys, that is not normal,” said the former South Africa captain on his YouTube channel.

Notably, Sarfaraz has been plundering runs in the Ranji Trophy since 2019 accumulating 928 runs from nine innings at an average of 154.66 with three hundreds and two fifties in the 2019-20 season. He further slammed 982 runs at an average of 122.75 and 556 runs from nine innings at an average of 92.66 in the following two seasons to further make a strong case for his selection in the Indian squad.

Further speaking about Sarfaraz’s domestic record, de Villiers stated that it will be a big jump for him in international cricket against England.

"That is a very, very good first-class record. I know it's a big jump up to international cricket against England, on the biggest stage, I hope he gets a chance because Rajat Patidar has also been playing well," said de Villiers.

Sarfaraz Khan became the youngest player to play IPL in 2015

Notably, de Villiers has played with both Sarfaraz and Patidar in Royal Challengers Bangalore during the Indian Premier League (IPL). The former grabbed headlines during the 2015 season as he became the youngest player to play in the cash-rich league at the age of 17.

Also Read: 'It will be a tough choice' - Vikram Rathour on Sarfaraz-Patidar selection conundrum for second Test

He played some good cameos in his debut season but couldn’t keep up with the consistency in the following editions and hence was dropped from the side. However, Sarfaraz now finds himself on the cusp of international debut and his years of toiling hard in domestic cricket will finally come to fruition if he manages to earn his debut cap.