Published: Feb 02, 2024, 09:32 AM (IST)
Edited: Feb 02, 2024, 10:25 AM (IST)
Rohit Sharma has won the toss and announced that India would bat first in Visakhapatnam. He announced that Rajat Patidar will make his debut as a substitute for the injured KL Rahul. Furthermore, India has opted to play Kuldeep Yadav instead of Washington Sundar as an all-rounder in place of Ravindra Jadeja, while pacer Mohammed Siraj has been rested and is replaced by Mukesh Kumar. Patidar was awarded his first Test cap minutes before the toss, putting an end to uncertainty over whether he or Sarfaraz Khan would play.
After winning the first Test by 28 runs, England has picked three frontline spinners with limited experience: Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed, and Shoaib Bashir. Jack Leach, the most experienced player, is out with a knee injury. In his absence, Joe Root will seek to motivate the squad and take wickets if the youthful spin trio fails to deliver. Veteran pacer James Anderson has also returned to the squad, taking the place of Mark Wood. This is his sixth Test trip of India, and he has played at least one game in each of them. Legend, indeed.
England stunned India in Hyderabad, and India has already suffered a few more blows in the days after the first Test. However, fighting back from a 1-0 deficit in a home series is nothing new for them, especially in recent years when they have been so dominating at home. The previous time India hosted England, they lost the first of four Tests before winning the series 3-1.
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Srikar Bharat(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mukesh Kumar
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes(c), Ben Foakes(w), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson
