New Delhi. Changes have been made in Team India before the second match of the 5-match Test series being played between India and England. KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja will not be able to play the next match due to injury. The selectors have included Saurav Kumar in the team along with Sarfaraz Khan and Washington Sundar. This 30 year old player has got a place in the Indian team for the first time.
Left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar, who plays for Uttar Pradesh, impressed the selectors with his strong performance against England Lions. In the second innings of the second unauthorized test match, he took a total of 5 wickets and led India A to victory in the match. This 30 year old spinner has played 68 first class matches and taken 290 wickets while scoring 2061 runs at an average of 27.
had left the Air Force job
Saurabh Kumar even left his Air Force job to play for Uttar Pradesh in Ranji Trophy. This player made his first class debut with the army team itself. Saurav Kumar was selected in Air Force from sports quota only. Due to his desire to play for the Ranji team of Uttar Pradesh, he took a difficult decision and left the Air Force job.
In the Indian cricket system, players generally start giving up the dream of debuting for the national team when they reach the age of 30. Saurabh, who idolized late Bishan Singh Bedi, never wants to accept defeat. He said, “Bishan sir used to tell me to keep working hard and be mentally prepared to give my best whenever the opportunity comes. I never really keep myself away from the nets or bowling.
Former India left-arm bowler and current Uttar Pradesh coach Sunil Joshi told PTI, “Saurabh (Kumar) is a brilliant cricketer, understands the game and the situation very well. He knows how to adjust his line and length. He has a lot of experience of bowling in these conditions and against some good players like Cheteshwar Pujara and Mayank Agarwal in domestic cricket. Saurabh has now also improved his batting and can contribute with the bat lower down the order. ‘
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Tags: India vs England, Ravindra Jadeja
FIRST PUBLISHED: January 30, 2024, 05:46 IST