There is not much time left for the start of the two-match Test series between India and Bangladesh. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday announced the 16-member Indian team for the first Test. Both KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan have been included in the team for this match, but it will be interesting to see which of these two players the team management gives a chance in the playing-11.
Image Source: BCCI-X
KL Rahul is much more experienced than Sarfaraz and has proved his usefulness many times in difficult times. On the other hand, the bold attitude of Sarfaraz Khan, who made his debut against England earlier this year, has impressed everyone. In such a situation, it will not be easy for the team management to select one of these two batsmen. It is certain that Rahul will play as a full-time batsman as Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel have been included as wicketkeepers. However, on the basis of experience, Rahul's claim seems stronger than Sarfaraz and it is believed that Rahul could be the first choice of the management.
Domestic cricket star Sarfaraz started off with two half-centuries in his debut match against England in Rajkot and another against the same opponent in Dharamsala, showing precise footwork and improvisation against both fast and slow bowlers. KL Rahul missed the last two Test tours of Australia due to injury but scored a century in Sydney in 2014. Though Rahul's average after 50 Tests is less than 35 which is not that good, but scoring runs on big foreign grounds like Sydney, Lord's, Oval, Centurion puts the Karnataka player ahead.
There may also be competition for the third spinner's position, in which there is a competition between Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel. Recently, in the first round of the Duleep Trophy, Axar and Kuldeep performed oppositely for their teams. Axar took three wickets besides scoring 86 runs in Anantapur, while Kuldeep looked a bit out of form and could not trouble the talented Mushir Khan and tail-ender Navdeep Saini. But Kuldeep has had success against Bangladesh in the 2022 overseas series and due to his variety, he is a better bet than Axar on a good batting track.
Also Read: Why Shreyas Iyer and Shami not selected for the Test series against Bangladesh?
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