“When sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions” – What William Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, couldn’t be more apt for the Indian Cricket Team. After the 28-run loss in the Hyderabad Test, India have now lost 2 key players, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja for the Vizag Test.
An injury plagued Team India will be without 4 key players in the IND vs ENG 2nd Test. These include the likes of Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja. 1-0 down in the Test series, Rohit Sharma and his boys are now set to face a torrid time in the coming days.
India met a disastrous end in the Hyderabad Test. After dominating the first 2 days, the tides shifted in favour of the visitors. England clinched a 28-run win on Day 4 to take the lead in the series. And now, dependable players KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja are set to miss the upcoming encounter.
Amidst all the doom, there is however some good news. Domestic monster Sarfaraz Khan has finally got his maiden National Team call up. Sourabh Kumar and Washington Sundar too have been added to India’s playing list.
Virat Kohli
The biggest blow that India received before the 1st Test was the unavailability of star batter Virat Kohli. The former India skipper pulled out of the first 2 Test matches of the 5-match Test series. Kohli cited personal reasons for his absence. India sans Kohli meant an added advantage for the Three Lions.
India thus decided to feature both Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul down the order. And now India will yet again miss King Kohli’s services in Vizag and patiently wait for him to return for the 3rd Test.
Mohammed Shami
India’s hero in bowling in ODI World Cup has been side-lined with a knee injury since November. The ace speedster hasn’t featured for India for the past 2 months in any format of the game. Mohammed Shami is yet to get his fitness clearance from the NCA to feature for Team India.
In fact, India missed Shami in the previous Test. Previously, India has never lost a Test match at home in which Shami has played (21). With Siraj not getting enough opportunity to bowl, India will be missing Shami in the Vizag Test.
KL Rahul
If Virat Kohli’s absence wasn’t enough, India will no go on to miss the services of KL Rahul. The dependable batter complained of a right quadriceps pain after the first Test. As a result, he will miss the second game with the BCCI Medical Team set to monitor his progress.
KL’s absence will create a massive void in India’s middle order. Rajat Patidar is likely to feature in his place. However, India will surely miss the dependable and patient batter in KL Rahul.
Ravindra Jadeja
The fourth major missing from Team India will be Ravindra Jadeja. Be it scoring runs with the bat or scalping wickets in a spree, Jadeja does it all. As a result, Rohit Sharma and Co has been dealt with a big blow in Jadeja missing the Vizag Test.
Ravindra Jadeja suffered a hamstring injury on Day 4 of the IND vs ENG 1st Test. India are already eyeing on a couple of options who can replace Jadeja. It will be close battle between Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav for the coveted spot in the team.