India head coach Gautam Gambhir dropped a major hint on the team’s playing XI for the opening Test match against Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday. Speaking to the media at the Chepauk on the eve of the contest, Gambhir ended the debate around the selections between KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan, and Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant.
After knocking on the selection committee’s door for a long time, Sarfaraz eventually made his debut for India in the England Test series at home earlier this year. He scored back-to-back fifties in his maiden appearance in Ranchi, before scoring another fifty in Dharamsala, showcasing his adaptability against pace and spin. However, his debut happened after first-choice middle-order batter Rahul was out with an injury earlier in that same series.
With the veteran of 50 Test appearances back in the set-up, Gambhir reckoned that Sarfaraz will have to wait for his opportunity, given that the experienced Rahul will play a far more crucial role as India build towards the Border-Gavaskar series in December.
The 2011 OD World Cup winner reckoned the same about Jurel, who had made an equally impressive debut earlier this year against England, which included a Player-of-the-Match-winning performance in Ranchi. Gambhir backed Pant for his first Test appearance in two years since being sidelined following a car accident.
