Sarfaraz Khan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yash Dhull look to continue upward trajectory

Sarfaraz Khan, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Yash Dhull have been in imperious form in red-ball cricket. Such has been their impact in the longest format that they are now among the earmarked ones to progress to India’s Test team in the future.

They will once again get an opportunity to enhance their reputation when they will turn up for the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup against Saurashtra starting from Saturday in Rajkot.

Sarfaraz was the top-scorer in last season's Ranji Trophy, scoring 982 runs in six matches at an average of 122.75 with the help of four centuries and two fifties.

That came on the back of a successful 2019-20—his comeback season with Mumbai—during which he scored 928 runs in six matches at an average of 154.66. The 24-year-old continued with his rich form in the Duleep Trophy as he scored a century for West Zone in the second innings of the final against South Zone.

Jaiswal, 20, is gaining prominence with each innings. The Mumbai opener got an opportunity in the 2021-22 Ranji knockouts, after sitting out in the group stages due to poor form, and he grabbed it with both hands. He scored 498 runs in just three matches for Mumbai with the help of three centuries. He started 2022-23 as he had finished 2021-22—scoring runs in bulk. He garnered 497 runs in three Duleep Trophy matches, including two double tons as played a starring role in West Zone winning the title.

Dhull, 19, has been scoring at will too. He already has four first-class tons in five matches including two on debut—first for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy and recently for the North Zone in the Duleep Trophy. In the 2021-22 Ranji season, he was the shining light in an otherwise below-par display by Delhi. He finished with 479 runs in three matches at an average of 119.75.

While Jaiswal and Dhull have a while before they break into the India squad, Sarfaraz is on the verge of knocking the door down. But Sarfaraz is the one who doesn’t like to think too far ahead and instead focuses on one match at a time.

“I always keep expectations low. Idea is to improve my game to a level that whenever I get an opportunity, I shouldn’t be found wanting,” he had said at the end of last season.

He was also happy with the fact that he has shed the image of being just a white-ball cricketer — a tag which he earned because of the cameos he played in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

“There was a time when my name was only associated with white-ball cricket and some said that ‘he doesn’t have the technique to succeed in red-ball cricket’. But I believed in myself, I believed I can do it. I worked on my technique,” said Sarfaraz.

Jaiswal was expecting to join the Mumbai camp to prepare for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy which starts next month, but was surprised to see his name in the Rest of India squad.

“This is just the start,” he said. “It’s a reward for the hard work I have put in during the nets, outside the nets. I just try to work, go out and express myself in the middle.”

In his short career, Jaiswal has given ample proof of his maturity. In the Ranji semi-final against Uttar Pradesh, he scored just one run from 54 balls before finishing his second innings knock with 181 runs from 372 balls. That knock was in complete contrast to the way he played in the Duleep final when he scored 265 runs in just 323 balls in the second innings at a strike rate of 82.04 to take the match away from South Zone.

“It’s about adapting to the situation. Against UP, the idea was to bat them out of the match. In the Duleep second innings, we (West Zone) had to put a big score on board and playing defensively wasn’t working on that pitch so I decided to take on the opponents. My process is to improve daily. How you pace your knocks, comes with the understanding of the situation and how well prepared you are to tackle that situation,” he said.

Dhull, the 2022 Under-19 World Cup-winning skipper, has made an easy transition from junior cricket to senior. He puts it down to preparation. “The challenges (of playing long innings) are many. Staying mentally and physically fresh is important. You have to train and prepare accordingly. To stand out, you have to make big scores. Almost everyone is making runs. You have to set a standard to get noticed. From my junior days, my mindset has been kisi aur ke liye taali kyon bajao (why clap for someone else who is batting)? When you can play yourself, make sure everyone is clapping for you. If you get out to a good ball, then it’s fine.”

Jaiswal and Dhull are among the five openers in the Rest of India squad with the others being Mayank Agarwal, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Priyank Panchal. It remains to be seen whether the youngsters get a nod ahead of their senior pros. Dhull can play in the middle-order as well but if the think-tank is looking to groom future stars, it won’t be a bad idea to try the combination of Jaiswal and Dhull at the top as Agarwal has been struggling with form while Easwaran and Panchal have got enough opportunities with India ‘A’.