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Team India will be without star batters Virat Kohli and KL Rahul again for the third Test against England at Rajkot, starting February 15. While Kohli will miss the rest of the series due to personal reasons, Rahul was ruled yet to recover from his quadriceps injury.
Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan was drafted into the squad for the second Test after Rahul was ruled out with an injury. With Shreyas Iyer dropped and Rahul deemed unfit after being selected for the final three outings, Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal earned his maiden selection to the Test squad.
The duo will likely fight for Iyer's No.4 spot in the playing XI in the Rajkot Test, with the other positions a near lock. Both batters bring different dimensions to the batting lineup, making it quite a task for the think tank to select one for the all-important third Test with the series level at 1-1.
Without further delay, let us break down the various factors and see who comes out on top between Devdutt Padikkal and Sarfaraz Khan as the replacement for Shreyas Iyer in the 11 at Rajkot.
#1 Recent form and First-class record
It is hard to separate Devdutt Padikkal and Sarfaraz Khan on their current form as the duo have each enjoyed a terrific run lately.
The left-handed Padikkal has made a spectacular turnaround to his Ranji Trophy form after a mediocre 2022-23 season. In the four games he played for Karnataka, Padikkal scored 556 runs at an average of 92.66 with three centuries, including a 151 in his most recent outing against Tamil Nadu.
He also scored 191 runs at an average of 63.66 in two India A games against the England Lions a fortnight back.
Meanwhile, Sarfaraz hasn't been much behind, scoring 316 runs in his three red-ball games against the England Lions at an average of 79. Furthermore, he scored 34 and 68 on challenging wickets in South Africa in the two India A vs South Africa A matches.
The 26-year-old also amassed a truckload of runs in the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy, scoring 556 runs in only six games at an average of 92.66 with three centuries.
Considering the dead heat in recent form, the team management may look at overall first-class numbers to separate the pair. And Sarfaraz scores massively here, with his overall numbers substantially better than Padikkal.
While Padikkal is no slouch, with 2,227 runs in 31 first-class games at an average of 44.54, Sarfaraz boasts a stunning average of almost 70 with 3,912 runs in 45 first-class outings.
Advantage: Sarfaraz Khan
#2 Better fit in the current playing XI
The top three batters in the Indian lineup are fixed with Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal to open, followed by Shubman Gill at No.3.
With KS Bharat or Dhruv Jurel at No.6, one of Padikkal and Sarfaraz will slot in at No.4 or 5 with Rajat Patidar. While Sarfaraz almost always bats at No.4 for Mumbai or India-A, Padikkal is primarily a top-order batter who bats at No.3 or opens the batting.
In the second unofficial Test against England Lions that both batters played, the former batted at No.4, while the southpaw opened the batting. Hence, it would be wise to play Sarfaraz ahead of Padikkal in the middle order, with the position being a natural fit for him.
The only advantage the Karnataka batter could provide over Sarfaraz is the presence of another left-hander after Yashasvi Jaiswal in the top five.
Advantage: Sarfaraz Khan
#3 The unwritten rule of hierarchy
In close battles between selecting one of two players, the thumb rule of hierarchy takes center stage. Here, the answer is straightforward as Sarfaraz was on the roster for the second Test and barely missed out on making his debut.
Padikkal was included in the third Test only after KL Rahul was ruled out at the 11th hour due to injury. Further, the Mumbai cricketer is the more experienced and accomplished first-class batter, another parameter often used while handing Test debuts.
Sarfaraz also has the added advantage of being called unlucky to miss out on Test selection over the past few months, and that growing noise from the outside will only enhance his chances of a debut ahead of Padikkal.
Advantage: Sarfaraz Khan
In conclusion, it is fair to say that Sarfaraz Khan ticks almost all the prerequisite boxes over Devdutt Padikkal for selection into the Indian playing XI for the Rajkot Test.
Except for the fact that Padikkal bats left-handed, it is hard to find any other justifiable reason for his inclusion over Sarfaraz.
