3 reasons why Sarfaraz Khan should replace Virat Kohli in the first two Tests against England

In a huge blow to the Indian team, Virat Kohli has opted out of the first two test matches of the series. The former Test captain has decided to stay away from the action due to personal reasons. Now it will be very interesting to see who replaces Kohli as there are multiple potential options who can replace him. In this article, we will take a look at why Sarfaraz Khan can be an ideal option to be included in the squad as Virat Kohli’s replacement.

The unreal consistency

Sarfaraz Khan has been the most consistent player in first-class cricket in the last few years. The batter from Mumbai has taken this game to the next level and now the time has come that he should be rewarded for his performances in first-class cricket. In 44 first-class matches, Sarfaraz has scored 3751 at an extraordinary average of 68.20. These stats suggest that Sarfaraz is ready to take the next step and embrace the challenge of international cricket.

Natural selection

Sarfaraz plays in the middle-order and he has been playing in this role for a long time in domestic cricket. Virat plays at the No.4 position and Sarfaraz can be a perfect replacement for him as the 26-year-old will not take much time to adapt to this batting position. Sarfaraz can also play in other positions for instance, No.5 or No.6, if the team decides to promote any other player to the No.4 position in the absence of Virat. 

Experience of Indian conditions

Sarfaraz has played on Indian pitches for most of his first-class career. He has performed exceptionally well on these tracks and the story of his brilliance is evident in his phenomenal stats in red ball cricket. This is a very challenging series against England and in such a series it would be ideal if a player who has a plethora of experience of playing in Indian conditions replaces the best batter of the Indian team.

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