Sarfaraz Khan becomes 311th player for India to make Test appearance in 3rd Test against England

India vs England 3rd Test is currently underway in Rajkot. The Men in Blue won the toss and elected to bat first. Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan, who was named in the 15-man squad for the last three Tests, has finally got his cap. The batter becomes the 311th Indian player to wear the Test cap. He was handed his maiden Test cap by legendary Anil Kumble in the team huddle ahead of the game.  

Sarfaraz Khan's father, Naushad Khan, was emotional as the proud man could not hold back his tears. Naushad was present at the Saurashtra Cricket Association in Rajkot on Thursday, when he witnessed his son's cap presentation ceremony from the ground. The middle-order batter from Mumbai was picked to the squad for the second Test in Visakhapatnam after KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja were ruled out due to injuries. However, Rajat Patidar got the nod over Sarfaraz for that game.

Alongside him, wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel also got his maiden cap. The 22-year-old batter replaced KS Bharat in the side. With no KL Rahul or Shreyas Iyer, the young batters have the chance to make a name for themselves.

Sarfaraz Khan's dream come true

He has been a consistent performer in the Ranji Trophy and domestic cricket. The batter's record speaks for his ability and the talent he has. In 45 first-class matches, Sarfaraz has piled on 3912 runs at a staggering average of 69.85. During this time, he has scored 14 hundreds and 11 fifties, and he has also impressed for the India A team in matches against the England Lions.



Sarfaraz scored a fifty in the first unofficial Test and followed it up with an impressive 161 in the second one as India A would eventually win the series 2-0. The 26-year-old has scored 982 runs in 6 matches in the 2021-22 season and became the highest run scorer. He made 928 runs in 6 matches in 2019-20. In 2022-23, he scored 556 runs in 6 matches.