‘Will give migraines to Australian bowlers’ – Sanjay Manjrekar backs Sarfaraz Khan to come good during Border Gavaskar Trophy

Indian batter Sarfaraz Khan played a spirited knock during the 2nd innings of the opening game in Bengaluru. The 27-year-old scored 150 runs which was his first ever century in international cricket. Former Indian star Sanjay Manjrekar during his chat with ESPNCRICINFO heaped praise on the young batter. 

Manjrekar said, “I like the way he played fast New Zealand bowlers. He did the same against England. The pitch in Bengaluru is similar to some of the overseas tracks as there is a bit of bounce and pace”. The young batter was part of two huge stands in the second innings first with Virat Kohli, then with Rishabh Pant. 

The former Indian star also went on to say, “If a pitch is flat in Australia and there is not much of a seam movement, Sarfaraz will enjoy batting. However, if there is seam movement, the Aussie bowlers will pitch the ball up and that’s the length Sarfaraz Khan has to work on. He is going to give migraines to Australia fast bowlers if they bowl anything short outside the off-stump.”

Sarfaraz Khan favourite to be part of the Indian squad for the Australian tour

Indian selectors will be looking at the form displayed by the young batter during the next two games. KL Rahul’s indifferent form will certainly help the case of 27-year-old to make himself part of the touring party for the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy. 

Sanjay Manjrekar said, “He has got a good technique for Australia because he plays beside the line of the ball. I am looking forward to his batting. He is one of the candidates to be a part of Indian Playing XI,” In the first innings, Sarfaraz Khan batted at number 4 after Virat Kohli elevated himself to the number 3 spot. The young batter went on to score a duck when he was caught while attempting to play an ungainly shot. 

Sarfaraz made his debut earlier this year against England after scoring a mountain of runs in the domestic format. So far the right-handed batter has played 4 games and scored 350 runs with 1 century and 3 fifties. His average stands at 58.33 with a strike rate of 77. Rohit Sharma will hope the young batter can come good during the final two Test matches in Pune and Mumbai.