New Delhi. Another cricketer from Uttar Pradesh has entered the Indian Cricket Team. After Rinku Singh created a stir, now it is Saurabh Kumar’s turn. This all-rounder from Baghpat has been included in the Indian team for the second test match against England. Saurabh Kumar has been rewarded for his excellent performance against England Lions. 30 year old Sourav, playing for India A in the unofficial test played in Ahmedabad, played an inning of 77 runs against England Lions and took 5 wickets in an innings. This performance in the unofficial test has opened his way for the official test match.
Saurabh Kumar of Baghpat had entered first class cricket 10 years ago. He was not getting a place in the UP team at that time. For this reason, Saurabh accepted the offer of airman in the Air Force and started his cricket career from the services. But due to his strong performance, he soon got an invitation to play for Uttar Pradesh Cricket. It was not easy to take the decision to leave a fixed job and play for UP, but Saurabh took the risk for cricket. After this he started playing from UP.
Selected in the team for the third time
The talent of Saurabh Kumar was noticed by the cricket lovers of the country around 2020. Saurabh has also been in the eyes of selectors and has been continuously playing for Rest of India or India A teams. He was also selected for the Test series against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, however, he could not make it to the playing eleven.
Fit to replace Jadeja in the playing eleven
Saurabh not only has the ability to win matches with bowling, but also performs well with the bat. This is why when it came to the replacement of Ravindra Jadeja, one of the best all-rounders in the world, the selectors looked towards Saurabh Kumar. Jadeja is out of the team due to hamstring. Saurabh is almost a similar player to Jadeja. If the team management goes with the combination of left arm spinner in the playing eleven, as was the case in the last match, then Saurabh can be included in place of Jadeja. The second test match between India and England is to be played in Visakhapatnam from 2 February.
Took 290 wickets in first class matches
The interesting thing is that Rinku Singh of UP has since established his influence in Team India. Ever since he has played the role of finisher very well in T20 format. Since then there has been a demand to include him in the Test team also. But Saurabh Kumar has defeated Rinku Singh in the matter of entry in the Test team. This left-arm spinner has taken 290 wickets in 68 first class matches and scored 2061 runs at an average of more than 27.
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Tags: India Vs England, Indian Cricket Team, Team india
FIRST PUBLISHED: January 30, 2024, 07:27 IST