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Before England turned the tables on the intimidating hosts in the Hyderabad Test, Jadeja and Rahul were two of India’s best performances in the first innings.
During the Hyderabad Test, Jadeja injured his hamstring while attempting a quick single and Rahul reported pain in his right quadriceps. The home team’s woes are exacerbated by the duo’s absence; They were obviously taken aback by England’s “Bazball” tactics.
With his outstanding all-round skills, Jadeja becomes virtually irreplaceable and since recovering from surgery in September, Rahul has also emerged as one of India’s most valuable batsmen in both the ODI and cricket formats. proof.
For personal motives, Virat Kohli It is still out of service. He will be especially missed by the Visakhapatnam management, where the second Test begins on Friday, after the shocking defeat in the series opener.
With Sarfaraz Khan, Sourabh Kumarand Washington Sundar added to the group, selectors have extensive options to Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid to choose.
Rajat Patidar, who was also among the 15 in Hyderabad, is an obvious choice. With Kuldeep Yadav replacing Jadeja as the third spinner behind R Ashwin and Axar Patel, he could replace Rahul in the middle order.
Another alternative for India is to play a pacer with four spin options, just like England did in the first game.
In that scenario, Kuldeep could replace Mohammed Siraj, and the team could include Sarfaraz Khan or Washington to strengthen the middle-order.
Sourabh can be a dark horse in that race because he is a solid batsman with a couple of hundreds in first-class cricket and left-arm spin bowling like Jadeja.
Two Test matches have been played so far at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam, and the pitch is usually batsman-friendly, at least in the first innings.
When India batted for the first time at this venue in 2019, they racked up 502 in the first innings against South Africa, with Mayank Agarwal registering a double hundred and Rohit adding a quickfire 176 in his first Test innings.
Spin legend Anil Kumble believes that spinner Kuldeep’s presence in the playing XI will be helpful.
“If India feels they just need a fast bowler, then having Kuldeep will certainly help. There will be variations but England will come and do the same things they did in Hyderabad,” Kumble told the host broadcaster.
“The wicket could be decisive and we hope the pace is faster. This was slow but it was a good wicket if you put in the effort. India certainly need to buckle up with their approach to playing against spin.
“I also felt that they were certainly bewildered by the way England approached their batting and with that, they have to come up with plans, some unconventional ones. They never tried any variations, so that’s something I’m sure they will look to do,” he said referring to to the spinning trio who are being pressured by England’s relentless sweeping tactics.
Washington, a left-handed hitter who bowls right-handed spin, also has good reason to be selected after showing plenty of promise during his four Test runs.
He played three matches in the previous home series against England in 2021 after making his debut in the historic Test victory at the Gabba.
Over the course of that series, Washington made 85 not out and 96 not out in five innings and took two wickets in a match dominated by Ashwin and Axar, the frontline spinners.
Former coach Sarandeep Singh, during whose tenure Washington made his Australian debut, said the all-rounder is a utility player but would not want to play too much in the XI.
“It’s quite simple for me. Rajat Patidar replaces Rahul and Kuldeep replaces Jadeja. We don’t need to copy England and play with four spinners. Playing with two pacers and three spinners has been our strength at home. We need to stick to that,” he said. the former India spinner.
However, he believes it would be better for the team’s cause if Rohit was dropped to number 3 and Shubman Gill, under fire, opened the innings alongside him. Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Having replaced the experienced Cheteshwar Pujara in the top order, Gill, who had earlier expressed his desire to play with a three, has not been able to replicate his white-ball form in the conventional format.
“Gill is not a number three player. He should open. Rohit is one of the best spin players and can drop down to accommodate Gill at the top,” Sarandeep added.
Former India opener Wasim Jaffer also expressed similar views.
“In my opinion, Gill and Jaiswal should open and Rohit should bat at number 3 in the second Test. Waiting for his turn to bat does not help Shubman, it is better that he opens the inn. Rohit plays very good spin, so hitting without a .3 shouldn’t worry you too much,” Jaffer posted on X.
(With PTI inputs)