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At a time when injuries to veterans have already handed India a major selection headache, former Indian cricketer Parthiv Patel has urged the hosts to take a brave call in the 2nd Test against Ben Stokes’ England. India were already without batting icon Virat Kohli when Rohit Sharma and Co. squared off against England in the 1st Test of the five-match series at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Premier batter KL Rahul scored 86 off 123 balls while Ravindra Jadeja top-scored for the hosts with a stroke-filled 87(180) in the 1st Test against the visitors. However, Rahul and Jadeja’s heroics failed to inspire Team India to a win as the hosts were stunned by England in the series opener. Coming as a huge setback for India after the series opener, Rahul and Jadeja are unavailable for the 2nd Test due to their respective injuries.
Speaking to JioCinema in the lead-up to the 2nd Test between India and England, former India batter Patel opined that the Rahul Dravid-coached side should add an extra batter to their playing XI. The former cricketer and full-time pundit feels India can accommodate the extra batter by benching pacer Mohammed Siraj. Speedster Siraj bowled 11 overs in the entire 1st Test against England.
‘If you are not using Siraj much…’
“There is no doubt that three spinners are enough, but I have a different perspective. You have used Siraj for only six or seven overs throughout the Test. Axar Patel played ahead of Kuldeep Yadav because of his batting abilities, as mentioned by Rohit Sharma before the Test. And if you are not using Siraj much, then why not play an extra pure batter,” Parthiv said.
‘No point playing someone if…’
Interestingly, England played one pacer to use four spinners in its playing XI against India at Hyderabad. Taking a cue from England, the hosts can replace pacer Siraj with spinner Kuldeep Yadav. India have added Sourabh Kumar, Sarfaraz Khan and Washington Sundar to its Test squad after Rahul and Jadeja were ruled out of the second encounter. “So, you will have three types of bowlers in Ashwin, Axar, and Kuldeep, and the extra batter will add depth to the batting. And there’s no point playing someone if you are going to give him only seven overs,” Parthiv added.
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