Mohammed Siraj to be dropped? Harbhajan Singh names India's playing XI for 2nd Test vs England

Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh suggests that Team India might consider playing four frontline spinners in the second Test against England. Harbhajan Singh highlighted that Mohammed Siraj could be dropped from the playing XI to include an additional spinner.

The Rohit Sharma-led team picked three spinners and two seamers in the first Test of the five-match series in Hyderabad. Mohammed Siraj went wicketless in both innings of the match. The home team suffered a 28-run loss despite taking a 190-run lead in the first innings.

Jasprit Bumrah bowled brilliantly in the first match, showcasing his skills in spin-friendly conditions. Bumrah took two wickets in the first innings and four wickets in the second innings. Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj bowled only 11 overs in the match, conceding 50 runs.

Hope That The Pitch Will Be Better – Harbhajan Singh

In a video on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh stated that India might play with four spinners, with Jasprit Bumrah as the lone fast bowler. Singh emphasized the significance of preparing a better pitch for the next match to allow India’s batters to score.

“From the squad India have picked, I am expecting it to be a turning wicket. If it is going to turn even more than what we saw in the first match, There is a possibility of India playing four spinners, with Jasprit Bumrah being the only fast bowler,” Singh said.

“I sincerely hope that the pitch will be better than what we saw in Hyderabad. India have a young batting lineup, and we should give them a chance to get some runs under their belt. It will benefit India if a good pitch is prepared,” he added.

The Rohit Sharma-led team has to make two forced changes to their lineup for the second Test. KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja have been ruled out due to their respective injuries. Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, and Saurabh Kumar have been named in the squad.

Shubman Gill And Shreyas Iyer Have Performed Underwhelmingly – Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh said that Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer should make significant contributions in the absence of Rahul. Harbhajan stressed that skipper Rohit Sharma has to provide a good start at the top of the order.

“Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer have performed underwhelmingly in the last few innings. With KL Rahul ruled out, the onus is on them to score big runs. Rohit Sharma will also have to give a good start at the top for India to score around 300 runs in the first innings,” Harbhajan further stated.

Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer struggled to make an impact in the first Test. Gill scored 23 runs, and Iyer contributed 48 runs across both innings. Gill and Iyer are under pressure to deliver noteworthy performances as Virat Kohli is expected to return for the third Test.

The second Test between India and England is set to be played at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam, starting on Friday, February 2.

Harbhajan Singh’s playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, KS Bharat, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav/ Mohammed Siraj

Also read: “Ravichandran Ashwin is the 2nd highest scorer after Rohit Sharma..”- Harbhajan Singh issues warning to Rahul Dravid