Ind vs Eng: India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour opens up on Sarfaraz Khan-Rajat Patidar selection conundrum
Team India led by Rohit Sharma succumbed to a shocking defeat against England in the Test opener in Hyderabad recently. The hosts had a golden opportunity to shift gears to put themselves closer to the path to victory but they did their own grave as they failed to take control of the game.
On the contrary, the Three Lions capitalized on the chances to better effect. Rightly so, they were able to churn out a 28-run win over the hosts to take the first lead in the series. After a painful defeat, India suffered two blows as KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja were ruled out of the Vizag Test owing to their injuries.
As a result, the Indian team management had to make swift changes to fix the leaks for the time being. The selectors decided to bring in Sarfaraz Khan, Saurabh Kumar and Washington Sundar for the second Test, slated to be held in the coastal city of Andhra Pradesh on February 2.
Vikram Rathour talks about the selection dilemma featuring Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar
Meanwhile, India’s batting coach, Vikram Rathour opened up about the selection dilemma featuring the likes of Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar during the team’s pre-match press conference ahead of the second Test match.
After a defeat in the first Test, Team India are certain to make changes in their playing XI, considering the fact there will be no Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja. During the presser, he was asked as to who the team would pick between Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar.
The batting coach replied that the decision is completely down to the Indian captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid. “It will be a tough choice. What value they bring to the team, of course, is that they are super players. We have seen how well they have done in domestic cricket in the last few years,” the 54-year-old added.
“So on these kind of wickets, I think they can really add a lot of value to the team. If you have to pick one, it’s of course going to be tough. But that’s a decision I think Rahul and Rohit Sharma will have to make in a day or so,” Vikram Rathore added.
