Kuldeep Yadav returns, Mohammed Siraj rested: India's likely XI for 2nd Test vs Bangladesh

3 months ago | 48 Views

India will be looking to complete a series whitewash on Bangladesh when the two sides meet in Kanpur for the second Test. The pitch at the Green Field Stadium is expected to be based on what the Indian team wants, with reports indicating that the curators have made two kinds of tracks for the match. While one is the black soil pitch typical to Kanpur which will provide assistance to spinners, the other is apparently similar to the pace-friendly track that was rolled out in Chennai for the first Test.

To state the obvious, the kind of pitch chosen for the match will go a long way in deciding India's squad for the match. While they aren't likely to make too many changes, India could retain or drop the third fast bowler based on the conditions. The first Test was a rare one in that both sides chose three fast bowlers despite the match being played in India.

If India do the same as they did during Bangladesh's tour, they could choose the pace-friendly pitch in Kanpur. However, considering there is a big five-Test series coming up later this year in Australia and a Champions Trophy shortly after that next year, they might also be conscious of giving their pacers as much rest as possible. They would also be confident of their world-class spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja outperforming Bangladesh's own formidable set of spinners. They could also bring in Kuldeep Yadav as the extra wicket-taking spin option.

India to continue with Bumrah

However, it is likely that the pacer to be rested won't be Jasprit Bumrah. Instead, it could be Mohammed Siraj, who had a very brief injury scare during the first Test. While it was nothing severe, India would be tempted to err on the side of caution. Akash Deep seems to be one of the premier candidates to be India's third pacer in Australia if Mohammed Shami doesn't return and so he is sure to get another game.