India’s all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and batter KL Rahul have been ruled out of the second Test against England, exacerbating the host’s problems. Jadeja sustained a hamstring injury, while Rahul suffered a quadriceps issue during England’s 28-run victory in the first Test.
India is already without key batter Virat Kohli, pace bowler Mohammed Shami, and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. To fill the void, Sarfaraz Khan, Sourabh Kumar, and Washington Sundar have been added to the squad for the second Test, which will take place on Friday.
Sarfaraz Khan, 26, is an uncapped middle-order batter with an impressive first-class batting average of 69.85, the fourth-highest of all time. Washington Sundar, 24, is a spin-bowling all-rounder who has played four Tests, including three on England’s previous tour in 2021. Sundar made his debut in India’s historic victory against Australia in Brisbane earlier that year.
Sourabh Kumar, 30, is a left-arm spinner with nearly 300 wickets in first-class cricket.
Former captain Virat Kohli withdrew from the first two Tests in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam due to personal reasons. Rishabh Pant is also unavailable due to a road accident, while Mohammed Shami is sidelined with a heel injury.
India already had much to contemplate after allowing England to overturn a 190-run first-innings deficit and achieve one of their greatest ever overseas victories. Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav seems likely to play in Visakhapatnam, while uncapped batter Rajat Patidar, who scored two centuries against England Lions earlier this month, is already in the squad and could replace Rahul.
If India chooses to strengthen their batting lineup, particularly after pace bowler Mohammad Siraj bowled just 11 overs in Hyderabad, Sarfaraz could make his debut.
“They could play just one fast bowler and add an extra batter,” former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik said on the Test Match Special podcast. “They will look to reinforce the middle order even more to give them the confidence they need.”
In the first Test, India initially dominated by posting 436 runs after bowling England out for 246 in the first innings. However, their discipline with the ball and in the field waned as Ollie Pope scored 196 for England in the second innings, executing a range of sweeps and reverse-sweeps.
In the fourth innings, India strangely lacked aggression during their chase of 231. While opener Yashasvi Jaiswal set the tone in the first innings with an explosive knock of 80 from 76 balls, India struggled in the final innings on Sunday afternoon.
“This Test they didn’t have answers to a few of the questions raised by the English batters,” said Karthik, who earned 180 caps for India across all three formats. “The reverse-sweep is something that the bowling unit will ponder as to what they can do when a batter resorts to it.”
Karthik believes that India has historically rebounded well from adversity and expects them to come out strongly in the second Test with different plans and strategies.
As for the pitch conditions, on England’s last tour of India, they won the first Test on a flat surface in Chennai but lost the final three matches on pitches offering significant turn. In Hyderabad, they emerged victorious on a pitch suited to spinners. Karthik anticipates that Visakhapatnam’s pitch could provide even more turn due to its coastal location and warmer climate.
“I’m expecting a game that will again be dominated by spin,” he concluded.