The Indian team management finally seems to be rewarding players with Test caps, after solid showing in the domestic circuit. That has opened up a new channel for players, who really aren’t in the T20 mode. This ‘unwritten’ policy has seen the rise of Sarfaraz Khan, and Dhruv Jurel who have been impressive in the current series.
Then there is Rajat Patidar as well. who has been far from decent, but still a good find for India, nonetheless. All these boys have come from a rigorous India A setup, where they had to prove their credentials. And current India A skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran couldn’t be more chuffed seeing all the players play for the national side.
Speaking to India Today, Easwaran went on to say that the Ranji Trophy is on par with the Test cricket. “Ranji Trophy is constantly improving because a lot of players are going into the IPL and then coming back to play domestic cricket.
“The biggest challenge in the Ranji Trophy is that out of 7 matches, you will play 3 on green track, 2 on turners and maybe 2 on flat pitches. Nobody plays for 3 points anymore, everyone is looking to win the four-day game,” Easwaran told India Today.
Special Praise for Sarfaraz Khan
Specifically speaking on Sarfaraz, he said, “I feel so happy for Sarfaraz Khan. I have seen him up close since childhood and he has been stunning in the last three seasons of Ranji Trophy. He has been fantastic, scoring runs in 90 per cent of the matches. He was so good in the Rajkot Test and would have scored a hundred, if he had not gotten run out.”
“We all felt in the India A side that he deserved to be in the Indian team. And make no mistake, the Ranji Trophy standard is really high. Look at Sarfaraz, he looked like a finished product on his Test debut. He had no problems to bat at that level. So ya, we look at him and go ‘He is performing so well, we can too, because we are also grinding at the same level,” the Bengal batter added.
