Sarfaraz Khan Aims for Indian Test Middle Order Spot with Buchi Babu Showdown
Suryakumar Yadav petitioned the Mumbai Cricket Association to put him in the team for the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament in Tamil Nadu after returning from his maiden tour of duty as India’s full-time T20 captain.
It happened after the Indian team management and selectors hinted that, some 18 months after Surya’s single Test match against Australia in Nagpur, where his lone innings yielded just 8 runs, they were considering him as a potential alternative in red-ball cricket.
Now that Surya has secured a spot in the Duleep Trophy and is playing for Team C under Ruturaj Gaikwad, he appears to be a lock for the summer’s home Test match between Bangladesh and New Zealand.
The Indian domestic season officially begins in the first week of September with the Duleep Trophy, but with the Buch Babu tournament starting on Thursday in four locations in Tamil Nadu (Coimbatore, Salem, Dindigul, and Tirunelveli), it feels like the season is already underway. And with to Mumbai’s stellar squad, an audition for middle-order spots in the Test side will be held in Coimbatore over the course of the next three weeks.
Shreyas Iyer also asked the MCA to put Surya in the roster for the second match against a Tamil Nadu team after Surya made himself available. Sarfaraz Khan will be trying to get an early advantage in the tryout before the two show up. Being the captain of the Mumbai team here, he is aware that, given the current situation, runs are the only thing that count.
Not just celebrities from Mumbai will be performing at the Buchi Babu event. Jharkhand will be led by Ishan Kishan, who last season refused to attend Ranji Trophy matches. His return will start at Tirunelveli. Ashutosh Sharma and highly regarded Railways wicketkeeper Upendra Yadav will also play in the competition.
wholesome rivalry
However, all eyes will be on the Mumbai side, where three players are vying for a spot in the Indian Test team. The middle order for India included Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravindra Jadeja, and Dhruv Jurel in their most recent Test match. However, there is no assurance that the batting order would hold true when India takes on Bangladesh in Chennai on September 19.
While India’s immediate challenges are in Bangladesh and New Zealand, the think tank has already focused on the upcoming tour of Australia, which is scheduled to start in mid-November. Red-ball cricket is receiving a lot of attention as the selectors announced four strong squads for the Duleep Trophy on Tuesday, ahead of India’s five Test matches slated in Australia.
Sarfaraz told The Indian Express, “I think this tournament is important because when Duleep Trophy begins, you have to be ready.” “In Mumbai, we have been training primarily indoors. We even had a fantastic camp in Alur, where we prioritized skill and conditioning. But we have to get into match mode before the season starts.
Following his initial exclusion from the India team for the England series, Sarfaraz finally made his eagerly anticipated Test debut due to a series of ailments. Surya’s return to the Test team and the availability of KL Rahul and Virat Kohli for the Bangladesh series mean that he may not hold onto his berth in the 15.
The rivalry will only heat up when Surya and Shreyas join the Mumbai team for the second encounter.
I don’t want to plan too far ahead because I can’t control a lot of stuff. Being in the moment is crucial. I have to always be prepared and stick to the same practices that have helped me succeed thus far,” Sarfaraz remarked.
Distinct Reasons
The inaugural Buchi Babu event was held in 1909, making it older than the Ranji Trophy. After the state team’s red-ball fortunes declined in 2018, the tournament was brought back to life on the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association calendar for the following season. Similar to the Ranji Trophy’s playing circumstances, the four-day competition is starting to regain its former prominence.
Teams like Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Railways, Baroda, Gujarat, and Chhattisgarh have come with the intention of collecting some much-needed game time before the Ranji Trophy begins in October, but the major takeaway would be the audition for India’s middle order.
The Ranji Trophy is starting early this season, and because it takes place in January and February instead of October through November, we will have to deal with a variety of weather conditions. We require this kind of publicity. We would not find conditions to assist us get better versus spinners anywhere in the north. Since many of us are underrepresented in the Duleep Trophy, these four-day matches play a significant role in our preparations, according to Haryana captain Ashok Menaria.
Madhya Pradesh, one of the most dependable teams in the Ranji Trophy, is one of the teams competing and is using the event to introduce young players to the game. It’s clear from the team list—every player was born in this century—that they are making an investment in the future.
