Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel make Test debuts: Decoding their stats
Team India has made two changes for the third Test against England as batter Sarfaraz Khan and wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel have earned their respective maiden international caps. They replace the out-of-form duo of Shreyas Iyer and KS Bharat. While Sarfaraz's debut was much-awaited as he has scored a plethora of runs in domestic circuit, Jurel has been impressive lately. Let's decode their First-Class stats.
Can Sarfaraz live up the expectations?
Sarfaraz has been one of the most consistent batters in the domestic circuit. He has been taking the Ranji Trophy by storm by compiling massive runs. There were some controversies as well regarding his selection, but he received the recognition that he always deserved. It's now upon the young Mumbai batter to prove his mettle.
A look at his overall First-Class numbers
Having played 45 First-Class matches, Sarfaraz has amassed 3,912 runs at an impressive average of 69.85. The youngster has hammered 14 centuries and 11 fifties in this format. His highest score of 301* came against Uttar Pradesh in the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy campaign. Sarfaraz made his FC debut for Mumbai in 2014. He has been among massive runs in recent times.
Averages 82.46 in First-Class cricket since 2020
It was only in the 2019/20 Ranji Trophy campaign that Sarfaraz became a star batter for Mumbai. Since 2020, no other batter who has amassed more than 2,000 First-Class runs averages more than Sarfaraz's stellar 82.46. Sarfaraz once had a First-Class average of above 80 and was only behind Donald Bradman's average of 95.14.
Who is Dhruv Jurel?
Born on January 21, 2001, Jurel hails from Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The wicketkeeper-batter was the vice-captain of the India U-19 team in the 2020 ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup, where India finished runners-up. The wicket-keeper didn't get many opportunities as he slammed 89 runs across three innings. Rajasthan Royals signed him for Rs. 20 lakh in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction.
Here are Jurel's numbers
The 23-year-old Jurel has smashed 790 runs across 15 FC games at an impressive average of 46.47 (100: 1, 50s: 5). He made 69 for India A in the drawn four-day game against South Africa A in Benoni in December 2023. His only FC ton to date was a fiery 249-run knock versus Nagaland in the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy season.