Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag don't want change in the playing XI. Getty Images

Former India opener Virender Sehwag has said India should persist with KL Rahul for the second England vs India Test despite the batsman’s failure in the series-opener. He also said that Cheteshwar Pujara should warm the bench for at least one more Test and should be given a chance only if Rahul fails again.

Poor batting was the biggest reason behind India’s narrow loss at Edgbaston. Barring Virat Kohli, none of the other batsmen could contribute much in the testing conditions. While Kohli scored 200 runs in the game, his teammates even struggled to time their shots. And Rahul was not an exception either.

Rahul made it to the playing eleven ahead of the more experienced Pujara. It was a gamble and it backfired miserably. While in the second innings, Rahul could do very little do against a stunning delivery from Ben Stokes, he fell to a poor shot in the first essay. The right-handed batsman, facing only his second delivery, he went chasing wide outside his off stump and played on. He could score only 4 and 13 in the first and second innings respectively.

England vs India, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virender Sehwag, KL Rahul
KL Rahul should get the chance ahead of Cheteshwar Pujara: Virender Sehwag (England vs India, Credits: Getty)

India definitely missed the services of Pujara who is currently ranked 6th in the ICC Test ranking. His ability to hold the innings together could have done the trick for India in the low-scoring thriller. Not surprisingly, there are calls to bring back Pujara in the playing eleven.

Read More  "That was insane" - Pat Cummins admits being nervous as MI neared miracle chase in IPL 2024

However, Sehwag has advised against it. Sehwag feels Rahul should get enough chance and dropping him would hurt his confidence.

“If KL Rahul played the first Test then I think he should play the second match too. He should get enough chances. Because if you drop a player after just one match, it will definitely hurt his confidence. I think a player should get at least one full series and then if he fails to perform, you can drop that particular player from the team and give chance to others,” he told IndiaTV.

“Five Test matches and 10 innings are enough for a player to perform and if somebody fails in it then he should be dropped,” he added.

Sehwag further said Pujara should not get a chance ahead of Rahul for the upcoming second Test at Lord’s.

“Yes, earlier I did think that Pujara should play at Lord’s but now I feel that KL Rahul should get the chance since he played the first Test. If he fails to perform in both the innings at Lord’s then I think it would be good to bring Pujara in for the third Test,” he added.

England vs India, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virender Sehwag, KL Rahul
Bring Cheteshwar Pujara if KL Rahul fails at Lord’s: Virender Sehwag (England vs India, Credits: BCCI)

 

An avid cricket lover, I just love this game more than anything. Writing about cricket keeps me closer to the game.