India are all set to take on England in the second Test of the five-match series at Visakhapatnam starting from February 2, Friday. India are currently trailing in the series having lost the first Test match at Hyderabad. India's batting has not delivered according to the expectations in the second innings of the first Test which has caused a collapse and thus handed a forgettable defeat to the hosts. Virat Kohli is yet to be available for selection and in a huge blow, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja are ruled out of the second Test with injuries. Ahead of fielding the team at Visakhapatnam, Indian captain Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid face a selection dilemma. ‘It Felt Very Good To Get That Call’, Rajat Patidar Shares His Emotions on Maiden Test Call-Up Ahead of IND vs ENG 2nd Test 2024.

With the absence of two batters from the playing XI, India need to select one of the two batters in the reserves. Either of Rajat Patidar or Sarfaraz Khan is set to make their debut in the second Test match against England. Sarfaraz Khan was initially not in India's squad. Patidar was selected on the back of his recent good performances in the Ranji Trophy and also for India A against England Lions. Compared to that, Sarfaraz has been more consistent over the years and he has scored runs against England Lions too. For Rohit Sharma, the call has to be entirely on what the team needs against this kind of opposition.  England Playing XI for 2nd Test 2024 vs India: Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson Included As Visitors Leave Out Mark Wood and Jack Leach.

It is highly likely that it will be Rajat Patidar who will make it to the playing XI for the second Test. Patidar was selected in the squad ahead of Sarfaraz, so clearly the coach and captain has more trust on him. Patidar is good against both pace and spin and has a lot of domestic experience behind his back. Patidar has also proved repeatedly that he is person who can play in crisis and has played important knocks for his team taking them out of trouble. Sarfaraz, despite being a strong candidate is likely to be waiting for his selection in the playing XI, There is a possibility that India will go with an additional batter in the XI and in that case Sarfaraz might get the nod.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 01, 2024 03:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).