India are 1-0 down to England, they don't have KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli for at least the next Test. All of a sudden, the Indian think tank has called in players from the domestic circuit.
India are looking to make a comeback in the Test series after losing the series opener to Ben Stokes' England. They have been hit with injury issues to KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja which has ruled them out of the second Test. The hosts are mulling on the possible options and at least one of Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar is set to debut for the team.
Sarfaraz or Rajat?
Both the players have performed exceptionally well in the domestic circuit. Patidar has scored 4000 runs in 55 first-class matches at an average of 45.97. He has also scored 12 centuries and 22 half-tons in the format.
On the other hand, Sarfaraz also boasts strong numbers in first-class cricket. He has 3912 runs in the domestic circuit in 45 matches at an average of 69.85. Sarfaraz has also made 14 tons and 11 half-centuries.
During the recent India A vs England Lions contests, both of them impressed a lot. Patidar had scores of 111 and 151 in the two unofficial Tests that he was part of, while Sarfaraz also had two big returns with the bat - 96 and 161 against the England Lions.
Who comes in for Jadeja?
Bringing a like-for-like replacement for Ravindra Jadeja is a very difficult task. India have called in Saurabh Kumar and allrounder Washington Sundar in the squad to fill in the void left. Saurabh can send down numerous overs and Sundar can bat long but having specialisations in both of them is what makes Jadeja what he is now.
Turning to Kuldeep Yadav is a wise choice too. He has picked three fifers in eight Test matches and is a match-winning bowler with his left-arm wrist spin. India can pick Kuldeep for Jadeja. They can also play both Sarfaraz and Patidar by removing Mohammed Siraj, who bowled a total of 11 overs in both innings.
India's probable playing XI for the 2nd Test:
Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidar, KS Bharat, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah
