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England have announced two changes to their playing XI for the second Test, but the focus will be on what changes a reserved India will make as they look to restore parity in Visakhapatnam.
Two men at opposite ends of the age and experience spectrum will join the visitors when Ben Stokes and Rohit Sharma exit the draw on Friday. James Anderson, 41, a veteran of 183 Tests which has earned him a staggering 690 scalps, replaces Mark Wood, while tall spinner Shoaib Bashir, making his debut at 20, will replace the injured Jack Leach.
But what about India? There will be at least two forced changes, following the injuries suffered in Hyderabad by Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul. It is more or less certain that left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav will take Jadeja’s place. The big issue of interest is which of Rajat Patidar or Sarfaraz Khan will fill the void created by Rahul’s absence.
The think tank has obviously made up its mind, but a marked reluctance to make it public means the scope for speculation is immense. On Wednesday, batting coach Vikram Rathour took a swipe at the Patidar-Sarfaraz debate, embracing diplomacy and saying: “It will be a difficult decision. The value they bring to the team is that they are excellent players. We have seen how well they have done in domestic cricket in recent years. On these types of terrain, they can really add a lot of value to the team. “If we had to choose just one of them, it would be difficult.”
SWOT Analysis of Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar
Sarfaraz has the most impressive numbers over a long period of time. Since 2020, he boasts an impressive first-class average of 84.42 and in his most recent match, he scored 161 in an over for India ‘A’ against the England Lions in Ahmedabad last week. At 26, he has the weight of 45 first-class appearances behind him, he is a destroyer of spin and, although he still has a portly frame, he has clearly lost a lot of weight since the time he was sent down by Royal Challengers Bangalore. benching in fitness fields. despite retaining him for the 2018 season ahead of more established names like Chris Gayle, KL Rahul and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Patidar has been a consistent performer for Madhya Pradesh and India ‘A’, as well as RCB, although he missed the entire last IPL season with a heel injury. He is now 30 years old, well organized, has a solid foundation and can change topics effortlessly. Like Sarfaraz, but without the same intimidating statistics, he attracted attention for his consistency and fluid batting, and was one of the main drivers of his state’s first Ranji Trophy triumph in June 2022. In the same game in the As Sarfaraz produced efforts of 134 and 45 for Mumbai, Patidar responded with 122 and 30 not out, leading MP to a historic six-wicket victory. Patidar has established himself as a big-match player, while Sarfaraz has struggled playing for India ‘A’, losing a run of lean scores with efforts of 68 (vs South Africa ‘A’) and 55 and 161 against the Lions. all in the last seven weeks.
None of this provides a concrete picture of who will play. Like the previous dispensation under Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid are big believers in conventions and hence the balance could tip towards Patidar, who broke into the Test team ahead of Sarfaraz. The MP batsman was recruited by Virat Kohli, who pulled out of the first two games just three days before the start of the series due to personal reasons. Patidar’s last two outings have returned 111 (two-day match) and 151 (unofficial first ‘Test’), both against the touring England Lions. These are extremely impressive credentials that will be difficult to overlook.
India will need not just style but also stability in the middle order, especially considering that No. 3 Shubman Gill and No. 5 Shreyas Iyer have been woefully out of form for the last eight months. Therefore, one would think that the older, more experienced and more mature Patidar would be an ideal fit. He looked good in touch in the nets on the two days leading up to the Test, but so did Sarfaraz, who struck the ball with precision and who has the added advantage of having worked with Dravid during the latter’s time as India ‘A’. coach. There are six of one and half a dozen of the other. Patidar or Sarfaraz? Choose your option; the group of experts has already done so, but does not speak.