For now, there is no replacement for Virat Kohli in the Indian team. And his absence from the first Test just showed. Indian batsmen, chasing a target little in excess of 200, could not take the team to the finish line. Come the second Test in Vizag, once again Kohli won’t be around, and the Indian batting line-up looks rather depleted.
Due to some injury concerns, the team would further miss the services of KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, and look at handing out debuts to Sarfaraz Khan, and Rajat Patidar. More importantly, India has no option, but to stick with out-of-form Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer.
Team India Lacks Depth in Batting
Out of the current squad for the second Test, there are three batsmen who have never played a match for India — Sarfaraz, Patidar, and Dhruv Jurel. Skipper Rohit Sharma becomes the most experienced batsman with 55 Tests, 3801 runs, at an average of 45 including 10 tons and 16 fifties.
Next on the list are Gill and Iyer. In 21 Tests, the former has 1063 runs at an average touch below 30, with two tons and four fifties. As for Iyer, in 13 Tests, he has 755 runs to his name, at an average of 37.55. He also has a ton and five fifties. The last specialist batsman in the team is Yashasvi Jaiswal, who in five Tests has 411 runs, at an average of 45.7.
Interestingly, if the numbers of all the Indian players in the squad for the second Test were to be added, they have rather poor numbers. In all, they have 10,702 runs, at an average of 29.56, 19 tons & 48 fifties.
Joe Root Alone Better than Team India Sans Virat Kohli
Shockingly enough, former England skipper Joe Root has far better numbers at the moment, than what this current Indian squad has. Root, in his career, has scored 11147 runs, at an average of almost 50, including 30 tons and 60 fifties. If the numbers of the likes of Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett, and Ben Stokes were to be added up, it would present a worse picture for India.
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