Virat Kohli’s absence was felt in India’s 28-run defeat to England in the first Test. Now, the team has to cope with the unavailability of two other stars in the second Test starting at Visakhapatnam on February 2.
K.L. Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja have been ruled out because of injuries. According to a statement from the BCCI, Jadeja sustained a hamstring injury on the fourth day of the first Test, while Rahul complained of a right quadriceps pain.
Kohli, it may be recalled, had withdrawn form the first two Tests citing personal reasons. Rajat Patidar joined the team as his replacement.
The selection committee has added three others to the squad: Sarfaraz Khan, Sourabh Kumar and Washington Sundar.
Saransh Jain will replace Washington in the India-A squad for the third ‘Test’ against England Lions, which begins at Ahmedabad on February 1. Avesh Khan, who had been released from the Test squad, will continue to travel with Madhya Pradesh for the Ranji Trophy tournament; he could return to the Test squad if required.
Saurabh, a left-arm spinning all-rounder from Uttar Pradesh, and Sarfaraz, a prolific run-getter for Mumbai, are uncapped. They both are in form: Sarfaraz scored 161 off 160 balls for India-A against England Lions in the second Test at Ahmedabad, while Saurabh made 77 and took five wickets in the second innings.
Washington has played four Tests, but the last of them came in 2021. Interestingly, it was against England, in the fourth Test at Ahmedabad. He made 96 not out in India’s only innings. He had also taken the wicket of Ben Stokes, the current England captain.
India squad (for second Test): Rohit Sharma (Capt.), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, K.S. Bharat, Dhruv Jurel, R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar and Saurabh Kumar.
