Sarfaraz Khan Vs Dhruv Jurel – Who Should India Pick For 1st SL Test? Murali Kartik Chooses

Murali Kartik wants India to pick Dhruv Jurel over Sarfaraz Khan for the middle order in the 1st Test vs Sri Lanka in Galle.

Rapid Read

Rapid Read

Summarized by AI.

+

More Rapid Read

Like this summary?

Share Your Feedback

Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan.

(BCCI, PTI)

Former India spinner Murali Kartik wants India to pick wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel over specialist batter Sarfaraz Khan for the team’s middle order in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.

India will play two Tests in the island country, beginning on August 15 in Galle. Sarfaraz joined the team recently as an injury replacement for number three batter Sai Sudharsan. In the 11, Sudharsan will likely be replaced by Devdutt Padikkal, who scored a century in the three-day warm-up game in Colombo. Depending on the combination, there could still be room for an extra batter in the middle order.

“Sarfaraz has come in place of Sai Sudharsan,” Kartik said in a media roundtable organised by Sony Sports.  “Dhruv Jurel has been part of the side; he’s a very handy Test batter, and he’s done exactly what the team has asked. I would want him to start. Sarfaraz has done nothing wrong, but he’s coming in as a replacement. For me, the key going forward is consistency—in how we play, how we pick sides, and in our messaging. Players must feel secure about their places. And Jurel is a wonderful wicketkeeper if needed. So I would want Dhruv to start,” he added.

There’s a good chance that neither of them gets to play in the first Test. If the conditions are favorable for spinners, Gautam Gambhir might opt to play all four spinners in the squad, three of whom can bat.

Jurel didn’t help his case from the specialist batter point of view in the warm-up, managing only 1 (9) and 17 (20) in the two innings. Sarfaraz last played for India in the three-Test series against New Zealand in 2024, where he scored his first and only Test century, a 150 in the second game in a losing cause.

Watch Sri Lanka vs. India 1st Test Day 1 on August 15, 2026, from 10 AM IST live on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD & Sony LIV.

Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google.

Check RBI MPC Meeting 2026 Live Updates, Repo Rate Today.

Original source: https://www.news18.com/cricket/