After facing a defeat in the first Test match against England, Team India is all geared up and ready to face all the challenges in the second Test match. The second Test match of the five-match Test series is scheduled to happen on February 2 in Vizag. Before heading to the second Test match, Team India has undergone some changes. Some new faces joined the squad because of some senior player’s injury. Former Indian player Aakash Chopra talked about their preparations.
The Changes Before the Second Test:
Team India is ready to lock horns with England at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Vizag on February 2. This five-match Test series was highly anticipated. After a long, both teams will be locking horns on Indian soil. But before heading to the Test series, Virat Kohli withdrew his name from the first two Test matches due to some family reasons. Rajat Patidar was named in the squad to replace King Kohli.
That was not the end. Team India lost the first Test match by 28 runs. After that defeat, Team India received two new injury news. Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul were ruled out of the second Test match. Jadeja sustained a hamstring injury and Rahul sustained an injury in left quadriceps. After that, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, and Saurabh Kumar were named in the squad.
Aakash Chopra’s View:
Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are expected to keep their spots in the Indian playing XI, leaving the number four position open. There’s a competition between Sarfaraz and Patidar for a potential debut in Vizag. Aakash Chopra, a former cricketer, mentioned that both players are ready for the match and could be considered for selection, especially because of their proficiency in spin-friendly pitches.
He said, “Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan add lot of value. They play well in spin-friendly pitches and have scored a lot of runs in the Ranji Trophy. They are not coming from international white-ball cricket, which tends to weaken your defense. They are match ready and that is good news for India. They can put England’s spin bowling under pressure.”
A few changes are expected to take place in the second Test match. Playing XI can also be shuffled depending on previous performance and the injury replacements. Kuldeep Yadav is set to step in for the injured Ravindra Jadeja in the playing XI, and there’s a possibility that the team management might opt to include Washington Sundar as well. Sundar’s inclusion could provide additional strength to the batting lineup.
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