India and Australia plan to make significant changes ahead of the second Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, which begins in the nation’s capital Delhi on Friday, February 17.
Shreyas Iyer, an Indian batter who had been dealing with a back problem, has been given the green signal by the BCCI medical staff/ He will now join Team India ahead of the second Test match against Australia, which officially starts on Friday, February 17 at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Iyer last appeared for India in the ODI series last month against Sri Lanka, where he made 94 runs over the course of three games. Due to an injury, the middle- order hitter was unable to participate in the ODIs against New Zealand. The 28- year-old was also expelled from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy’s opening test.
Iyer will join the Test squad in Delhi after being given the all-clear by the BCCI’s medical staff, according to a statement released on Tuesday. Before being momentarily put on hold, Iyer’s Test career got off to an incredible start as he hit a Test tonne against New Zealand in Kanpur in 2021. He had scored a century on his Test debut, making him the 10th Indian hitter to do so. Iyer has scored 624 runs at an amazing average of 56.73 in seven Test matches, including five fifty- plus scores in addition to a century.
India’s squad for the second Test: Rohit Sharma (captain), KS Bharat (wk), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav.
Australians considering making significant adjustments for the second Test
Despite the surprising start to their Border-Gavaskar series, Australia coach Andrew McDonald has pushed his squad to adhere to their original game plan. The playing XI, however, will undergo some changes as all-rounder Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood, and others are set to vie for a spot.
With Matt Kuhnemann’s arrival in Delhi before the second Test, the possibility of a three-pronged spin attack has increased, according to men’s team coach Andrew McDonald, who said the uncapped left-arm spinner has a real chance to play. Kuhnemann’s appointment would appear to be a complement to rather than a replacement for Australia given Todd Murphy’s remarkable debut at Nagpur where he bagged seven wickets in India’s sole innings.
Kuhnemann takes over for Mitchell Swepson, a teammate from the state, who is going home to be with his partner before the birth of their first child. Swepson is anticipated to travel back to India before the third Test, which will start on March 1. The left-hander Matt Renshaw made scores of 0 and 2 in Nagpur, so if Green passes the fitness test, he would likely replace Renshaw at No. 6. Due to his propensity to bowl seam-up, Green’s participation would also provide the Australians the option of playing a third spinner.
The other significant selection decision for Australia is expected to revolve around Travis Head, one of Australia’s most effective batsmen over the past 12 months, who was overlooked for the first Test, leaving many fans baffled. According to NewsCorp reports, Head is being evaluated to replace veteran David Warner at the top of the Australian batting order. Warner scored 1 and 10 runs in the first Test match in Nagpur and has averaged just over 22 in his career in India.
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Matt Kuhnemann, Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Cameron Green, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Renshaw, Steve Smith (VC), Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Matthew David Warner