With the second Test between India and England starting on Friday, February 2, at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam, Team India has a lot of thinking to do. India suffered another severe blow as all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and batter KL Rahul were ruled out of the second game due to injuries after losing the first Test by 28 runs.
Harbhajan Singh, a former off-spinner for India, believes that the Indian batting lineup is concerning because Virat Kohli did not play in the first two Tests for personal reasons. The 43-year-old pointed out India’s vulnerability by saying that Ravichandran Ashwin is the only other player in the current squad who is better than Rohit Sharma in terms of scoring.
“The team lacks experience, but they look good. Yes, there is Rohit Sharma, but Ashwin is the second-top run-getter. The batting order appears to be weak. And should they play on a turning track, which I believe they will given that Washington Sundar has been added to the lineup with Kuldeep Yadav, Ashwin, and Axar Patel,” Harbhajan posted on his YouTube channel.
Notably, ace England batter Joe Root’s Test total of 11,447 runs is significantly lower than the combined runs scored by India’s lineup during the second Test. However, the team from India has amassed 10,702 runs overall.
Harbhajan Singh also cautioned India not to fall into their own trap by giving England a turning point ahead of them because their youthful batting lineup needed time.
Indian batters may even perform well if they receive a nice track. Harbhajan Singh
“India should take care to avoid setting itself up for failure by getting a turning route ready for the guests. This batting group is young, and if they get off to a strong start, they might even do well,” he continued.
With England riding high after their dramatic victory, the Rohit Sharma-led team will have the monumental task of rallying in the second game of the series after falling behind 0-1.
Rohit Sharma, captain; Shubman Gill; Yashasvi Jaiswal; Shreyas Iyer; K.S. Bharat; Dhruv Jurel; Ravichandran Ashwin; Axar Patel; Kuldeep Yadav; Mohammed Siraj; Mukesh Kumar; Jasprit Bumrah; Avesh Khan; Rajat Patidar; Sarfaraz Khan; Washington Sundar; Saurabh Kumar; are the members of the India squad for the second Test.
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