India head coach Gautam Gambhir dropped a major hint on Team India’s playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. He ended the ongoing debate on KL Rahul vs Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel vs Rishabh Pant.
Sarfaraz had a memorable maiden Test series against England, scoring 200 runs with the help of three fifties in three Tests. He batted with freedom and played attacking cricket against the Ben Stoked-led team. The right-handed batter was given a chance because KL Rahul was injured.
The veteran of 50 Tests is back in the team and Gambhir mentioned that Sarfaraz will have to wait for his chances, meaning he will warm the bench in the Chennai game.
The legendary batter said the same thing about Dhruv Jurel, who had a phenomenal outing against England. He was named the Player of the Match in his second Test in Ranchi. He will be dropped to bring back Rishabh Pant.
‘We don’t drop anyone, but we pick the players who are more fit to be a part of XI. Jurel and Sarfaraz are good players, but they will have to wait for their chances,” he said.
Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli will be the top four batters, while KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant will occupy the following two slots. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are the two all-rounders, followed by Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. There will be a competition for the fifth-bowling option. According to a PTI, Kuldeep Yadav is expected to make the cut.
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