Sarfaraz can be the weapon to blunt England

Visakhapatnam: When Virat Kohli chose to relinquish Test captaincy of the Indian team in January 2022, there was not a shadow of doubt on BCCI’s mind as to who would be his successor. Having already handed the reins of the T20 and ODI sides, the Board naturally made Rohit Sharma the skipper of the longest format.

The Board felt the easy-going Mumbaikar, who attained phenomenal success with Mumbai Indians by leading them to five IPL titles, was the perfect man to steer an Indian team going through transition. He had the natural ability to develop rapport with the players and many of them, both Mumbai Indians as well as the Indian team, spoke highly about how his help — technical and mental —  played a role in harnessing their skills. For some who may have found Kohli’s aggressive in-your-face leadership a little hard to handle, Rohit’s laid-back style offered comfort.

Apart from all this, the major reason behind Rohit attaining full charge was the street-smartness he brought to the table. Winning one IPL itself is difficult but five was something sensational. Yes, Rohit was blessed with a great scouting and coaching staff, but trophies are won on the field and Rohit contributed significantly with his decision making — especially the spur of the moment ones. No matter what support system a captain has, it’s those decisions made in crunch moments that matter and Rohit had that X factor. His ice-cool captaincy played a key role in MI winning the hard-fought 2017 and 2o19 IPL finals. The decisions he made were seemingly purely on instinct alone. 

Rohit now needs to embrace that when he sits down with coach Rahul Dravid to finalise the playing XI for the second Test that starts at the Dr YSR ACA-VDCA Stadium here from Friday. With KL Rahul ruled out injured, a position has opened up and although the polished Rajat Patidar looks the favourite to earn a Test debut considering Virat Kohli’s unavailability, Rohit should gamble and pick the aggressive Sarfaraz Khan instead.

While the 30-year-old Patidar, who played a key role in Madhya Pradesh winning their maiden Ranji Trophy in the 2021-22 season and is amongst the most consistent batters on the domestic circuit, the efficacious Sarfaraz has been making a statement of his own with Mumbai with several game-changing knocks in the middle-order. More than the runs, the manner in which he scores is what could catch England off guard.

The 26-year-old Sarfaraz loves to attack from the word go, especially the spinners, and considering England are going to play three again in the second Test, he could come in really handy. He bats briskly, always looks out for boundaries, and barely slows down his tempo even when the chips are down. A strike-rate of 70.48 in 45 First-Class matches is a proof of his intent. And 14 centuries and 15 half-centuries with a highest score of 301 not out a testament to his hunger for big scores.

Another aspect where Sarfaraz could make a difference is his comfort in playing the sweep shots. Short and burly, he has got the old school Mumbai batter trait of quickly getting down on his knees to play the sweep square of the wicket and the paddle down fine-leg. He is proficient at playing the reverse-sweep too and strong at cut shots. In essence, he is someone blessed with strong wrists. 

Sarfaraz, who clobbered 161 off just 160 balls in the second unofficial Test for India A against England Lions last week in Ahmedabad, is also someone who England may not have planned for. Their spinners are of the kind he  has dominated on the domestic circuit and with the pitch here expected to be another slow-burner like in Hyderabad, he could just be the game-changing guy.

Patidar is no lesser a talent, given that he has scored 4000 runs in 55 First-Class games. He is also a fine player of spin, uses his feet well and adept at sweep too. But Sarfaraz has got the special ingredient -- the X-factor, if you like -- which India may need as they seek to bounce back after a shocking defeat in the opener.