India face England in the second Test match starting February 2© AFP
Former Indian cricket team spinner Harbhajan Singh suggested huge changes in the bowling attack as he picked the playing XI for the second Test match against England starting February 2. Harbhajan said that Sarfaraz Khan should be handed his Test debut in the absence of KL Rahul with all-rounder Washington Sundar replacing the injured Ravindra Jadeja. He also advised Rohit Sharma to go with four spinners in the bowling department with Kuldeep Yadav replacing Mohammed Siraj. That means that Jasprit Bumrah will be playing as the only specialist pacer in the team picked by the former Indian cricket team star.
“I think Sarfaraz should be played at No. 5. He has been scoring a lot of runs in domestic cricket and even for India A in the matches against England Lions,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
Harbhajan said that the decision to play Kuldeep Yadav or Mohammed Siraj will depend on how the wicket looks in Vishakhapatnam. Reports suggest that the track can be friendly to spinners and in that case, Harbhajan suggested that Kuldeep should be added keeping his World Cup form in mind.
“In No. 11, it should be Kuldeep Yadav. He has the variations and he can also turn the ball in both directions. Recently, his performance was extremely good in the World Cup. If the team wants to add an extra spinner, the team should go with Kuldeep Yadav. If the wicket has something, play Siraj but if you think that it is a turning track, play Kuldeep as the fourth spinner,” Harbhajan explained.
Harbhajan Singh’s India playing XI for second Test match against England: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, KS Bharat, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav/Mohammed Siraj.
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