"I hope he gets a chance" - AB de Villiers on Sarfaraz Khan ahead of IND vs ENG 2nd Test

AB de Villiers expressed his delight at Sarfaraz Khan earning his maiden India call-up after being added to India's squad for the second Test of the ongoing five-match home series against England.

Highlighting Sarfaraz's incredible record in first-class cricket, the former South African captain mentioned that the youngster deserves to be part of India's Test side. Hoping that the 26-year-old gets to make his Test debut against England, de Villiers said in his latest YouTube video:

"It's just very exciting for me. His record in first-class cricket is quite outstanding, and if there's a guy that deserves it, it's certainly him. He has played 66 innings, 3912 runs, and an average of 69.85. 14 hundreds and 11 fifties, guys, that is not normal.

"That is a very, very good first-class record. I know it's a big jump up to international cricket against England, on the biggest stage, I hope he gets a chance because Rajat Patidar has also been playing well."

India named Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar and Sourabh Kumar as reinforcements after senior players KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja were ruled out of the second Test due to their respective injury scares.

The hosts suffered a heartbreaking 28-run defeat in the Test series opener in Hyderabad. The Men in Blue failed to chase down a 231-run target in the fourth innings and were bowled out for 202 on Day 4.

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"It can only be Kuldeep Yadav" - AB de Villiers on Ravindra Jadeja's replacement

With Ravindra Jadeja ruled out, AB de Villers opined that India must add Kuldeep Yadav to the playing XI, given that he brings variation to the team's bowling attack with his wrist spin.

De Villiers stated:

"It can only be Kuldeep Yadav, who doesn't offer as much with the bat or in the field, but he does have a lot of X-factor with the ball in hand. He maybe gives India a little bit of extra variation with the bowling department because you had Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja there, two left-arm spinners."

The former cricketer, however, suggested that it won't be easy for any player to fill Jadeja's shoes, considering the all-rounder's ability to contribute significantly in all departments. De Villiers elaborated:

"I don't think we all understand how big a loss Ravindra Jadeja is going into the second Test match. The guy is a superstar. I thought he would do more in that first Test match first of all, but generally speaking, he is fast, wicket-to-wicket and some of the balls turn and some don't.

"With the ball in hand, we have seen him take 10-fers and 5-fers under pressure. He is not easy to replace. Incredible in the field, he is fast, helps the captain, and gets you run outs, but the big loss, I think, is with the bat in hand."

The second Test between India and England will be played at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam from February 2 to 6.