Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel were India's debutants at Rajkot.
Finally, the moment has come for Naushad Khan and his family. His son, Sarfaraz Khan received the coveted India cap which he has been waiting for a long time. With this cap, Sarfaraz became the 311th cricketer to play Test cricket for India.
Sarfaraz’s father, Naushad Khan, who was present at the Niranjan Shah stadium, renamed from the Saurashtra Cricket stadium Ground at Rajkot, got emotional as soon as his son received his international cap from Anil Kumble. His mother was also seen during this momentous occasion for the Khan family.
Wholesome moments in Rajkot ❤️🥺
How excited are you to see Sarfaraz Khan & Dhruv Jurel 🧤 in the 3rd #INDvENG Test?#BazBowled #JioCinemaSports #TeamIndia #IDFCFirstBankTestSeries pic.twitter.com/r7VLxGTBxT
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) February 15, 2024
Sarfaraz was seen hugging his family after getting the cap and posing for the photos as well. Alongside Sarfaraz, wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel also received his maiden international cap from Dinesh Karthik. Jurel replaced KS Bharat, who was having a torrid time with the bat. He became the 312th Test cricketer for India.
Sarfaraz received his maiden India call-up before the second Test at Vizag, thanks to the injury to KL Rahul. But since Shreyas Iyer was dropped for the final three Tests of the series, Sarfaraz’s chances of making a debut increased. This became even more clear as soon as Rahul was ruled out of the third Test.
Earlier, India won the toss and chose to bat first. They made four changes to their playing XI from the second Test at Vizag. Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KS Bharat, and Mukesh Kumar were left out while they were replaced by Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, and Mohammed Siraj. Kuldeep Yadav kept his place in the side while Axar Patel had to make way for Jadeja. Mohammed Siraj was back as well after being rested for the second Test.
Meanwhile, England made one change bringing in fast bowler Mark Wood for the offspinner Shoaib Bashir. The series is delicately poised at 1-1 with two more Tests to go after Rajkot Test.
