England have announced two changes to their playing XI for the second Test, but the focus will be on the changes a tight-lipped India will make as they seek to restore parity in Visakhapatnam.
Two men at the opposite ends of the age and experience spectrum will turn out for the visitors when Ben Stokes and Rohit Sharma walk out for the toss on Friday. James Anderson, 41 and a veteran of 183 Tests which have fetched him an astonishing 690 scalps, replaces Mark Wood while tall off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, debuting at 20, will step in for the injured Jack Leach.
But what about India? There will be at least two forced changes, following the injuries sustained in Hyderabad by Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul. It is more or less certain that Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm wristie, will take Jadeja’s place. Which of Rajat Patidar or Sarfaraz Khan will fill the breach created by Rahul’s absence is the big topic of interest.
The think-tank has obviously made up its mind, but a marked reluctance to make that public means the scope for speculation is immense. On Wednesday, batting coach Vikram Rathour dead-batted the Patidar vs Sarfaraz debate, embracing diplomacy by saying, “It will be a tough choice. What value they bring to the team is that they are superb players. We have seen how well they have done in domestic cricket in the last few years. On these kinds of wickets, they can really add a lot of value to the team. If we have to pick just one out of them, it would be tough.”
SWOT analysis of Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar
Sarfaraz has the more impressive numbers over an extended period of time. Since 2020, he boasts a stunning first-class average of 84.42 and, in his most recent match, smashed 161 at better than a run a ball for India ‘A’ against England Lions in Ahmedabad last week. At 26, he has the weight of 45 first-class appearances behind him, is a destroyer of spin and even though he still cuts a portly figure, he has clearly lost plenty of weight from the time when Royal Challengers Bangalore benched him on fitness grounds despite retaining him for the 2018 season ahead of more established names like Chris Gayle, KL Rahul and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Patidar has been a consistent performer for Madhya Pradesh and India ‘A’, as well as for RCB, though he missed the entire last season of the IPL with a heel injury. Now 30, he is well organised, has his foundation in strong basics and can effortlessly switch gears. Like Sarfaraz but without the same intimidating statistics, he has caught the eye with his consistency and free-flowing batting, and was one of the prime drivers of his state’s maiden Ranji Trophy triumph in June 2022. In the same game where Sarfaraz produced efforts of 134 and 45 for Mumbai, Patidar responded with 122 and 30 not out, steering MP to a historic six-wicket win. Patidar has established himself as a big-match player while Sarfaraz has his had his troubles playing for India ‘A’, shedding a run of lean scores with efforts of 68 (vs South Africa ‘A’) and 55 and 161 against the Lions, all in the last seven weeks.
None of this provides a concrete picture of who will play. Like the previous dispensation under Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid are great believers in convention and therefore the balance might tilt towards Patidar, who broke into the Test squad before Sarfaraz. The MP batter was drafted in for Virat Kohli, who withdrew from the first two games just three days before the start of the series due to personal reasons. Patidar’s last two outings have yielded 111 (two-day game) and 151 (first unofficial ‘Test’), both against the touring England Lions. These are extremely impressive credentials that will be hard to overlook.
India will need not just flair but also stability in the middle order, especially considering that No. 3 Shubman Gill and No. 5 Shreyas Iyer have been woefully out of Test form for the last eight months. One would therefore think the older, more experienced and more mature Patidar would fit the bill, ideally. He looked in good touch at the nets on both days ahead of the Test, but then again, so did Sarfaraz, who struck the ball crisply and who has the added advantage of having worked with Dravid during the latter’s time as the India ‘A’ coach. It’s six of one and half a dozen of the other. Patidar or Sarfaraz? Take your pick; the think-tank already has but isn’t talking.
