What changes should India make for the second Test? Wisden writers have their say

From the highs of a series win in Australia, India suddenly find themselves in a scrap to keep their proud home Test record alive.

An inspired England performance, led by a mesmeric double hundred from their captain Joe Root, has given the tourists an unexpected 1-0 lead in the series. India had lost only one Test at home in eight years coming into this series, and must ensure they don’t lose another if they are to keep hopes of a series win alive.

They came into the contest with questions surrounding how they would line up. Ravindra Jadeja, arguably their most important player in home Tests, has been ruled out for the series, and with Axar Patel also pulling up lame on the eve of the match, the makeshift spin attack of Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Nadeem underperformed.

Also under fire after the defeat was Rohit Sharma, who has a high score of 52 in six innings since his recall to face Australia. India need to get their team right, and that could mean some tough decisions.

Four Wisden writers give their take on which changes Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri should make to the India XI.

Aadya Sharma (Wisden India editor)

Axar Patel in, Shahbaz Nadeem out

Excluding Shahbaz Nadeem might seem hasty; he’s an easy scapegoat, but it’s just one loss. However a fit-again Axar Patel could prove to be more effective on a flat, slow Chennai track with his accuracy, and the fact that he adds a bit of batting muscle gives him an edge over the other spin options in the squad. The team could still be tempted to bring in a better wicket-taking option in Rahul Chahar and Kuldeep Yadav at the expense of Washington Sundar, but his all-round value on his home ground, especially as a lower-order batsman, cannot be overlooked, as shown by his unbeaten 85 in the previous game.

I’d stick with the same batting order. Mayank Agarwal’s home average of 99.50 is being quoted  a lot these days, but Rohit, too, averaged 92.66 in 2019, and even though he’s still in search of a big score, he doesn’t look woefully out of form. The current opening pair should be given at least one more Test before talk of separating them starts.

Rohit Sankar (Wisden India staff writer)

Axar Patel in, Washington Sundar out
Kuldeep Yadav in, Shabhaz Nadeem out

Two changes might seem like an overreaction to a rare loss, especially with the second Test set to be played on the same ground. But given how little trouble Shahbaz Nadeem caused and that Washington Sundar’s effectiveness was restricted to just with the bat, I’d be inclined to bench them both for Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.

Axar adds more control and is a good enough batsman to play at No.7. Kuldeep, meanwhile, will make the spin attack less monotonous and is more of an attacking option compared to the finger-spinners. The batting group remains unchanged and after Ishant Sharma’s showing in the first Test, Mohammed Siraj’s chances of making it to the XI remain slim.

Rupin Kale (Wisden India staff writer)

Mayank Agarwal in, Rohit Sharma out
Kuldeep Yadav in, Shabhaz Nadeem out

Mayank Agarwal, who averages 99 at home, has been among the most prolific scorers in domestic first-class cricket for many years. Rohit has got many chances at Test level, but has failed to look reliable over a consistent period of time. Additionally, Agarwal brings in a steadier approach at the top of the order, thus allowing Shubman Gill to remain assertive.

It’s time for Kohli bring in the left-arm wrist-spinner. Shahbaz Nadeem did not look convincing in the first game and does not provide a long-term option for India. Kuldeep, with his wrist spin, has the ability to turn the ball on flat pitches and can be a very useful option on a the Chepauk surface. He took a five-for in his last Test appearance for India and deserves a chance now.

Ben Gardner (Wisden.com managing editor)

Axar Patel in, Washington Sundar out
Kuldeep Yadav in, Shabhaz Nadeem out

This is, admittedly, harsh on Washington Sundar, who averages 56.33 with the bat after two Tests and was one of the stars of that miraculous Gabba win on debut. But he’s also a 21-year-old whose last non-Test first-class game came in 2017, and who has taken just four wickets in four Test innings. Even though one of those was Steve Smith, India shouldn’t expect him to be the finished product yet. He’s also an off-spinner, like R Ashwin, and unlike Lasith Embuldeniya, who gave England all sorts of problems in Sri Lanka.

Shabhaz Nadeem was expected to fill the ‘turning it the other way’ role, but looked a shadow of the bowler who ran through South Africa on debut in 2019. India can ill-afford giving him time to feel his way back into it.

For me, coming in are Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja-lite, medium-slow left-arm darts and with a higher first-class batting average than Sundar, and Kuldeep Yadav, whose left-arm legging have flummoxed England before, and could just be the bit of variation needed to knock over Joe Root.

Finally, a word for Hardik Pandya. If it were possible to be fully confident of his bowling fitness, bringing him in for Ishant Sharma would be hugely tempting. As it is, his otherworldly talents must sit on the sidelines for now.