‘Dream aise hi sach hote hain’ – Fans react as Sarfaraz Khan makes debut in 3rd Test vs England

Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan earned his Test debut after an extended wait. Notably, the legendary Anil Kumble handed the 25-year-old his first Test cap during the team meeting ahead of the third Test between India and England in Rajkot. Meanwhile, the father of Sarfaraz Khan, Naushad Khan, broke down in tears after his son got the India cap.

However, star wicketkeeper batter Dhruv Jurel also got the India cap. India’s star cricketer, Dinesh Karthik, handed him the cap ahead of the game. There was a great mood in the Indian camp as two batters, Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel, got the nod to be in the squads, while KS Bharat and Axar Patel got ruled out of the third Test game.

Meanwhile, India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and invited visiting sides to bat first in the game. The 36-year-old skipper feels that batting is an advantage for them owing to pitch conditions, as it will get better over time. In addition, the stylish right-handed batter feels that they need to stay focused to win the rest of the three games.

Two debutants, Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel: Rohit Sharma

“We’re going to bat first. We’ve made some changes, made four changes. Some injuries and some guys coming back from the last game. Two debutants. Siraj and Jadeja are back. Axar Patel and Mukesh Kumar miss out. Looks a good pitch, better than the last two we’ve played on. Rajkot is known to be a good pitch but it’ll deteriorate as it goes. The guys have stood up and done the job for the team when it was needed. The next three Test matches will be as exciting as the first two. Need to keep our focus here and see how we can do well,” Rohit Sharma said at the toss.

Here are the Playing XI for the third Test match:

India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj