Following India’s defeat to New Zealand, the hosts will likely make a few changes to their XI for the second Test, beginning on October 24 in Pune.
Openers
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal
Rohit and Jaiswal are certainties in the XI. The captain averages 34.43 in Test cricket this year and will be eager to convert his starts into a big score in the crucial match, where India’s winning streak at home will be at stake.
Jaiswal, arguably India’s finest Test batter at the moment, averages 60.23 in his 12-match career. He has made three hundreds and seven fifties and has been sensational at home.
Middle-order
Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul
Sarfaraz Khan, who made his maiden hundred in the first Test, standing tall for India when they were pushed to the corner, might have to miss out. While winning the New Zealand Test series will be the primary area of focus, India will also have the upcoming Australia tour in mind, giving the first-choice players as many games as possible in the lead-up to the tour.
Gill, who was out of the Bengaluru Test due to a stiff neck, thus, will return if he is given the fitness clearance. Gill, who made his debut in the last series in Australia, faced a blip in form thereafter but he has managed to cement his place in the side with an average of 50.92 this year, including three hundreds. He has also played 17 of his 27 Tests overseas and while he can be susceptible against pace - not too dissimilar to Sarfaraz - his experience will give him the edge as India build towards their big series down under.
The other big selection debate will be between Rahul and Sarfaraz. Sarfaraz has form behind him but Rahul seemingly has the management’s backing at No.6. In the last two Tests, when India fiddled with their batting line-up, Rahul’s spot was not disturbed.
Rahul averages 33.42 this year, but it discounts knocks that make it hard to look past him. His 101 at Centurion was one of the greatest played by an Indian abroad. He followed it up with an important 86 against England, after which he was injured. Rohit, however, lent him his support ahead of the Bangladesh series, where he notched up a 43-ball 68 in Kanpur.
Rahul has admittedly been inconsistent in Test cricket but his career is littered with important knocks away from home. There is no concrete reason to drop Sarfaraz after his maiden Test hundred, but keeping in mind Rahul's experience in Australia, he should continue in the XI.
Kohli’s spot is, of course, fixed.
Wicketkeeper
Dhruv Jurel
Rishabh Pant was out on 99 in the first Test but did not keep wicket after being struck on the knee while attempting a stumping in New Zealand’s first innings. He came out to bat thereafter but was not on the field in the second innings, with Jurel taking his spot behind the stumps.
Pant was struck on the same knee that bore the brunt of his horrific car crash. He underwent surgeries last year on his knee as well. Rohit later gave an update on Pant: “He's had a massive operation on his leg, so we all know what he went through. t's just to be a little careful about where he is at and what he is to us. Even when he was batting, he was not comfortably running. He was trying to only put the ball in the stands.
“He's had a lot of minor surgeries [and] one big surgery on his knee and he went through a lot of trauma, to be honest, in the last one-and-a-half years. So it's just about being extra careful, not [just] careful with him.”
Considering the short turnover between the two games, India would prefer resting Pant instead of aggravating a prior injury, bringing Jurel, who is also a handy batter, into the XI.
There is a discussion to be had with Rahul as the wicketkeeper, which would help Sarfaraz retain his place. However, it is not something India preferred in the England series earlier this year, indicating that they are looking at Rahul as a specialist batter.
Spinners
Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav
Little to discuss here, with Jadeja and Ashwin having formed a mighty spin pair over the years and Kuldeep assisting them well of late. With India picking Washington Sundar in the squad for the second Test, India currently have five spinners for the series, including Axar Patel.
However, it is unlikely India will go in with four spinners. Axar is very similar to Jadeja and Sundar has impressed more with the bat in first-class cricket. Playing one pacer is also something India has not done at home very often - the last time they had one quick in the XI was in 2015 on a rank-turner. The Pune wicket can turn big as well, but with India's recent struggles on turners, it might not be the best move if made.
Fast bowlers
Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah
India might finally decide to move on from Mohammed Siraj. At home, Siraj hasn't been as effective as India would have liked, averaging 34.52, with a strike rate of 59 and an economy rate of 3.50 - the worst among all pacers in India since 2010 (minimum 10 Tests played). This year, he averages 36.15 at home.
Akash Deep, who has impressed with his extra pace and control, can also nip the ball both ways and should partner Bumrah.
Predicted XI
Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah.
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