"Ravichandran Ashwin is the 2nd highest scorer after Rohit Sharma.."- Harbhajan Singh issues warning to Rahul Dravid

Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh expressed concerns about India’s batting lineup ahead of the second Test against England. Harbhajan Singh emphasized that the Indian team will miss Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul in the upcoming Test in Visakhapatnam.

The hosts suffered injury blows following a 28-run loss in the series opener in Hyderabad. Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul have been ruled out of the next match due to their respective injuries, as confirmed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday.

Ravindra Jadeja suffered a hamstring injury while being run out on Day 4 of the Hyderabad Test. KL Rahul has been sidelined due to pain in his right quadriceps. Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, and Saurabh Kumar have been added to the squad as replacements.

The Team Looks Decent But Lacks Experience – Harbhajan Singh

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh highlighted the team’s lack of experience, with Ravichandran Ashwin being the second-highest run-scorer after Rohit Sharma.

“The team looks decent but lacks experience. Yes, there is Rohit Sharma, but the next best run-scorer is Ashwin. In terms of batting, the line-up looks weak. And if they play on a turning track, which I feel they will because they have added Washington Sundar while having Kuldeep Yadav, Ashwin and Axar Patel,” Harbhajan said.

The Rohit Sharma-led team is also without Virat Kohli, who opted out of the first two matches due to personal reasons. Rahul replaced Kohli at No. 4 in the first Test and registered scores of 86 runs and 22 runs in both innings of the series opener in Hyderabad.

England Might Even Perform Well – Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh expressed concern about the possibility of India facing defeat on a turning pitch prepared for England. Harbhajan emphasized that English players could deliver an enhanced performance on a batting-friendly surface.

“I fear India don’t end up losing after making a turning pitch for England. This batting unit is young, they need time, and if they get a good track, they might even perform well,” Harbhajan added.

The Indian team suffered a 28-run defeat in the first Test match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The hosts lost the match despite taking a substantial 190-run lead in the first innings. The visitors took a 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series.

Rajat Patidar and Washington Sundar are likely to get an opportunity in the playing eleven for the second Test match. Patidar is yet to make his debut in red-ball cricket, while Washington has proven his all-round abilities in Test cricket.

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

Also read: “England don’t even have a chance..”- Harbhajan Singh ridicules Bazball