There is no doubt that Sarfaraz Khan had a great debut, but KL Rahul is scoring runs consistently: Parthiv Patel

Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel believes KL Rahul’s consistent run-scoring has earned him the spot in the playing XI over Sarfaraz Khan for the first Test against Bangladesh starting in Chennai on September 19. “You have to look at KL Rahul’s performance in the last few years. He has been brilliant. He scored 100 at Centurion in South Africa. When he played the only Test against England in Hyderabad, he scored runs. He has been scoring runs consistently, he had a very good World Cup as well.

“But having said that, Sarfaraz had a very good debut series, no doubt about that. As far as I am concerned, India will definitely start with KL Rahul. I don’t see any question about it, but it is good to see that there is such competition among players for every position in India,” Parthiv said in a virtual interaction with IANS.

Rahul has become the number five batsman since scoring a brilliant century in challenging conditions against South Africa at Centurion Park last year.

But after scoring 86 and 22 against England in Hyderabad in January, Rahul got injured and was ruled out of the rest of the series.

In his absence, Sarfraz found a place in the team and scored 200 runs in three matches, including a half-century on debut in Rajkot. But with Rahul fit and available after scoring 37 and 57 in the first round of the Duleep Trophy, head coach Gautam Gambhir on Thursday indicated that he would be included in the playing XI ahead of Sarfraz, a move that Parthiv also agrees with.

He also talked about why fast bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is far better than any other bowler in the world currently.

“The ability to read the game and perform well under pressure – that’s what sets him apart from other people.”

“I have seen him since he made his first-class debut. He was primarily an in-swing bowler. But now you can see how he takes the ball away. He has mastered the yorker length very well, and can disguise it very well with his slower balls. Also, he did not use the bouncer, but now he is using that as well.

“So he has all kinds of variations and there is perfection in every ball he bowls. For me, using those balls at the right time and performing well under pressure is what makes him different from any other bowler in the world,” he added.

Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are certain to play for the Chennai Test, which means a player like Akash Deep will have to wait for his chance. But Parthiv is very impressed with what he has seen of the Bengal pacer so far.

“I think he has bowled really well, and he is a great example of how to perform well in first-class cricket, and how important it is to play Ranji Trophy games and perform consistently. Both Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar are examples of how well they have bowled in first-class cricket, and they are getting results for it.

“Aakash has improved a lot this year as well, he is bowling good lengths. He has a bright future. He has played just one Test match but he has impressed everyone. So, everyone has high expectations from him. Also, it is good to see that India is developing fast bowlers series after series.”

Parthiv said, “It is not just about Bumrah, Siraj and Mohammed Shami. But the second line of fast bowlers is also fantastic in the form of Akashdeep, Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal. So, there are a lot of bowlers, but Akashdeep has been impressive and there is no doubt about that.”

Recently, all-rounder Hardik Pandya was seen bowling with the red ball in a practice session, indicating that he could return to playing the longer format, something that has not happened since 2018 due to a combination of injuries and workload management.

Parthiv believes that the doors are still open for Hardik to play Test cricket, provided he plays Ranji Trophy. “I personally don’t see the end of the road for any cricketer. I made a comeback after 8 years, while Dinesh Karthik made a comeback after 10 years. So, as long as a cricketer is playing cricket, there is never the end of the road for him. It depends on Hardik whether he wants to play Test cricket or not.

He said, “If he wants to play Test cricket, the Indian selectors and everyone have made it clear that he has to play first-class cricket. So, to make a comeback in the Indian Test team, he will definitely have to play Ranji Trophy cricket or first-class cricket first. But there is never an end to the road, and I don’t believe in the end of the road for any cricketer.”

The first India-Bangladesh Test on September 19 will be telecast live on Jio Cinema, Sports 18 – 1 (HD and SD), and Colors Cineplex (HD and SD) channels.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)