The first Test between India and Bangladesh is scheduled to kickstart on September 19 at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Many big names are making their return in the Indian squad for a long Test season ahead. Now, the big mystery which every Indian fan is looking to solve is which XI players will feature in the first Test against Bangladesh. India will be looking to have a strong middle-order in the first Test, and two players to look out for will be KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan.
KL Rahul has been a reliable middle-order batter for India from the last few years, providing solid strength to the Indian batting line-up. On the other hand, Sarfaraz Khan also had an impressive debut against England in Rajkot this year where he scored half-century in both the innings of his maiden Test for India. However, it wouldn’t be possible for the management to play with both KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan in the playing XI for the first Test.
KL Rahul or Sarfaraz Khan: Who should be India's first choice in playing XI for first Test against Bangladesh?
Both KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan can turn out to be an impactful addition in the playing XI in the first Test against Bangladesh. However, the team could manage to add only one of them in the final XI. As KL Rahul provides stability to the middle order, Sarfaraz Khan could change his gears according to the match situation and also have a good record against the spinners.
Talking about a place in the final XI against Bangladesh, KL Rahul could be the first choice for the selectors ahead of Sarfaraz Khan. According to a BCCI source, the team management is preferring Rahul over Sarfaraz in the final playing XI. The right-hander has shown great form in the longest format of the game recently. He scored a century in South Africa at the start of the year and also scored 86 runs against England in Hyderabad before he was injured.
KL Rahul also scored a half-century for India A in the ongoing Duleep Trophy before joining the Indian squad for the upcoming Test series. Along with his batting, KL Rahul also brings a lot of experience on the table and his form will be crucial for India ahead of the series against New Zealand and the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia.
