IND vs BAN: Kris Srikkanth shares bold 'feel bad' take on KL Rahul replacing Sarfaraz Khan

Former India National Cricket Team batter Kris Srikkanth has shared his views on KL Rahul replacing Sarfaraz Khan in the Test playing XI for the upcoming series against Bangladesh National Cricket Team.

Sarfaraz Khan impressed everyone in his debut series against England earlier this year and showcased a great temperament. He batted with an aggressive intent and smashed three half-centuries for the side.

In his debut game, he smashed twin fifties (62 & 68*) before bagging a failure in the next Test (14 & 0), only to bounce back strong with a fifty (56) in the final Test.

Although Sarfaraz Khan has all the tools to succeed across different conditions, he will lose his place in the Test playing XI to KL Rahul, with India giving preference to a more experienced batter, who has been a consistent performer.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) all but confirmed Sarfaraz Khan would be dropped from the playing XI when they announced that the Mumbai batter would feature in the second round of the Duleep Trophy 2024.

Also Read: IND vs BAN: Sarfaraz Khan replaced by KL Rahul in India XI for 1st Bangladesh Test, confirms BCCI

In the first round of the Duleep Trophy, Sarfaraz Khan scored 9 & 46 runs for India B against India A. Overall, he has played 3 Test matches in his career and has scored 200 runs at an average of 50.

Honestly, I feel bad for Sarfaraz Khan. But, this happens, at times, in Test cricket - Kris Srikkanth

Speaking in a YouTube show, the World Cup-winning player Kris Srikkanth said that he feels bad for Sarfaraz because he will have to warm the bench despite doing nothing wrong. He also spoke about Dhruv Jurel, who is also likely to lose his place in the XI to Rishabh Pant.

However, Kris Srikkanth was in favor of KL Rahul getting a chance because of his records, especially in overseas conditions in Test cricket.

"Honestly, I feel bad for Sarfaraz Khan. But, this happens, at times, in Test cricket. You would have been playing well but when a big player returns, you will have to lose your place. Take for instance, Rishabh Pant is returning because of which Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan are losing their places. KL Rahul is coming in.

"At the back of the mind, they are also keeping the Australia series. New Zealand are also coming. KL Rahul has performed well overseas; in Australia, he has done well," Srikkanth said.

KL Rahul last played a Test match for India in Hyderabad against England earlier in the year. In that game, he registered scores of 86 and 22 before getting ruled out of the rest of the series.

Overall, KL Rahul has played 50 Test matches for India National Cricket Team and has scored 2863 runs at a decent average of 34.08 to go with 8 tons and 14 fifties. At home, he has scored 1031 Test runs at an average of 41.24, and away from home, he has scored 1832 runs at an average of 31.05.