Former Indian top-order batter Wasim Jaffer has opined that the middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan needs to wait for his chances in the playing XI, with Dhruv Jurel being in good form in the longest format of the game.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former Indian opener has asserted that Devdutt Padikkal, who scored an exceptional century in the three-day warm-up fixture, will get a chance at No.3. Moreover, he reckoned that Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja will take up the middle-order slots.
“Padikkal will be seen playing at three as he scored a hundred. Maybe Pant will play at five. At number six, either Sarfaraz or Dhruv Jurel. Jadeja is also there, and he will certainly play as the second spinner. It will be a toss-up between Jurel and Sarfaraz. I feel Jurel will be preferred as he has been in the team for a while. And for someone who is coming back after a while, I think he will have to wait for his opportunity. To keep the continuity, I feel Jurel should play,” Wasim Jaffer said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Furthermore, Jaffer has insisted that the veteran Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja would be pretty handy for the Indian Test team in Sri Lankan conditions, adding that Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav would form a lethal partnership in the two-Test tour.
“Wherever he (Ravindra Jadeja) gets even a little help, he becomes very lethal. When the wicket is a bit good, he has some limitations. But he keeps it tight and gets through his overs quickly. He may not have those skills to get you wickets on day one and day two, but once there is some wear and tear or turn, then he becomes a lethal bowler. In Sri Lanka, he (Jadeja) and Kuldeep will form a good partnership,” he said.
“If you play only Jadeja, then it will become a little ineffective, especially away from India. But as his batting is also good, it becomes slightly difficult to drop him. But I think in Sri Lankan conditions he will be very handy,” he concluded.
