Harbhajan Singh, a former spinner for the Indian cricket team, selected the playing XI for the second Test match against England, which begins on February 2, and he advised significant changes to the bowling attack. Harbhajan Singh believes Sarfaraz Khan should make his Test debut in the absence of KL Rahul, with all-rounder Washington Sundar replacing the injured Ravindra Jadeja.
In terms of bowling, he also suggested that Rohit Sharma use four spinners, substituting Mohammed Siraj with Kuldeep Yadav. This implies that the former Indian cricket team player has selected Jasprit Bumrah as the sole specialist bowler in the team.
I sincerely hope that the pitch will be better than what we saw in Hyderabad- Harbhajan Singh
According to him, the Men in Blue should think about substituting an extra spinner for pacer Mohammed Siraj if the pitch is favorable for spinners. In his most recent YouTube video, Harbhajan Singh stated:
“From the squad India have picked, I am expecting it to be a turning wicket. If it is going to turn even more than what we saw in the first match, There is a possibility of India playing four spinners, with Jasprit Bumrah being the only fast bowler,”
Given their inexperienced batting lineup, Harbhajan recommended that the hosts try to prepare a better surface for the second Test, as the Indian batting lineup is young, so you have to give them a chance to get some runs under their name.
“I sincerely hope that the pitch will be better than what we saw in Hyderabad. India have a young batting lineup, and we should give them a chance to get some runs under their belt. It will benefit India if a good pitch is prepared,”
On the fourth day of the first Test at Hyderabad, India lost by 28 runs after being bowled out for 202. Even worse, injuries have prevented seasoned cricketers Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul from playing in the second Test.
Two youngsters must make amends in their performance in the second encounter- Harbhajan Singh on Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer
Indian batsmen Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer were heavily criticized for their lack of impact in the first Test match of the series against England. Harbhajan Singh feels that the two young players need to make up for their mistakes in the next match, especially because the hosts won’t have Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul in form.
The former cricket player who is now a commentator further underlined how crucial it is for captain Rohit Sharma to contribute significantly at the top of the order. He said:
“Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer have performed underwhelmingly in the last few innings. With KL Rahul ruled out, the onus is on them to score big runs. Rohit Sharma will also have to give a good start at the top for India to score around 300 runs in the first innings,”
Harbhajan Singh’s playing XI for IND vs ENG 2nd Test:
Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, KS Bharat, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav/ Mohammed Siraj