India vs England: Rajat Patidar for Shubman Gill, Kuldeep Yadav comes in — Changes hosts could make for second Test

Team India will look to bounce back in the second Test against England when it gets underway in Visakhapatnam on Friday (2 February). The first Test in Hyderabad wasn’t the best of outings for the hosts, as Ollie Pope and Tom Hartley had other plans. That 28-run defeat was a stark reminder for India that England cannot be taken lightly, especially with their “Bazball” approach in Tests.

It is exactly why it will be crucial for the Indian team management to make a few crucial selection calls. Virat Kohli will remain absent for the second Test due to personal reasons, whereas India have suffered another bow with injuries ruling out Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul out of the second Test.

Read: England give India a reality check as ‘Bazball’ announces itself

So, what changes could India make for the second Test?

With KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja ruled out of the second Test, it could mean Rajat Patidar gets named in the playing XI. Patidar, who was also part of the squad for the first Test, has had to wait for his Test debut so far, after India went ahead with a more familiar top-order of Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill.

However, with Gill underperforming at number three, the team management could go ahead with handing Patidar a potential Test debut, should Gill be dropped. Afterall, Patidar has very recently scored centuries in consecutive Tests for India A against England Lions.

Also read: Where did India lose the plot against England in first Test?

Another change could be the inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI. Kuldeep Yadav could be a replacement for the  injured Jadeja in the XI. Kuldeep offers variety in his deliveries and can turn the ball effectively in order to provide potential breakthroughs.

Sarfaraz Khan, Saurabh Kumar and Washington Sundar have been added into the squad, but it remains to be seen if either of them would feature in the playing XI. Unless, of course, if the team management decides to go ahead with Washington Sundar as the fourth spinner. That would make Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar as the four spinners, with three of them being proper all-rounders.

This would also mean India retain their two-man pace attack of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

India’s updated squad for second Test vs England: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, Sourabh Kumar