New Delhi, September 16
Indian batter Sarfaraz Khan heaped praises on star batter Virat Kohli and recalled his first time meeting the Men in Blue legend during their time together as a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Sarfaraz and Virat will be seen in action together in the first Test of the two-match series against Bangladesh from Thursday onwards. Between 2015-18, Sarfaraz played 25 matches for RCB under captaincy of Virat, scoring 228 runs in 18 innings and came down as a lower-order-batter.
Speaking on JioCinema, Sarfaraz said that the "passion and spirit" of Virat is "unmatched".
"Whenever I saw him, even in the pre-match meetings, he would take charge and tell everyone how many runs he would score off a particular bowler and break that down for everyone.To be gutsy enough to stand up and talk with such positivity in front of everyone and then deliver the next day is a very unique ability," he said.
"I met him at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium for the first time. I had scored 45 runs in 21 balls here and he bowed at me. I had a lot of fun that day. It has been a dream to share an Indian team dressing room with him," he said, adding that he is waiting for the opportunity.
Khan talked of Kohli's play ethics in terms of preparation.
"He is clear about his game. He knows the work a player needs to keep doing and that criticism or praise shouldn't affect your game. 'This is my work, I have to do this in the morning, this in the afternoon, this in the evening, and sleep at a specific time.' That's what I have learned from him."
Sarfaraz picked two signature shots of Virat that he likes, "I love his flick shot and his cover drive."
Sarfaraz made his international debut for India during the home Test series against England this year which Virat missed due to birth of his second child. In three matches, Sarfaraz has scored 200 runs at an average of 50.00, with three fifties in five innings and best score of 68*.
The two-match series between India and Bangladesh will kick off on September 19 in Chennai at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The second long-format game will begin on September 27 in Kanpur. In his first Test assignment, head coach Gautam Gambhir will be keen on securing a series win.
For Rohit Sharma's side, this series against Bangladesh will be followed by New Zealand's tour of India for three Tests starting from October 16, and then the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia from November 22.
India's squad for the 1st Test against Bangladesh: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.