India’s skipper Rohit Sharma and Pacer Navdeep Saini will miss the second Test due to an injury. According to the BCCI release, the fast bowler will now report to the NCA for further monitoring of his injury. At the same time, the skipper still needs some time to recover from a thumb injury received in the second ODI against Bangladesh in Dhaka.
Beginning on December 22, India will take against the Shakib Al Hasan-led Bangladesh team in the second Test at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. India will be aiming to clean-sweep Bangladesh and improve their chances of making the World Test Championship final for the second time in a row.
After sweeping Bangladesh by 188 runs in the opening Test at Chattogram, India climbed to second place in the World Test Championship standings, only behind table-topper Australia. An additional victory will only propel India closer to the grand final before they play the favorites Australia in a 4-Test series in February to March 2023. It will be interesting to see how the game turns out given that Bangladesh has nothing to lose and India has a chance to qualify for the WTC final.
Injury woes continue to plague the Indian side
According to BCCI, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and fast bowler Navdeep Saini won’t be available in the second Test against Bangladesh due to injuries. KL Rahul gave India a shock when he was struck on his thumb while batting in the practice nets on Wednesday at Mirpur. As Vikram Rathour, the batting coach was delivering throwdowns to Rahul, a fast-paced ball struck his thumb.
According to India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour, Rahul’s injury, which doesn’t seem to be serious, is being monitored by the BCCI medical staff. Rahul guided India to a stunning 188-run victory in the opening Test in Chattogram, giving India a 1-0 series lead over Bangladesh. KL Rahul did a good job as captain, but his performance as a batsman in the first Test was lackluster with two innings of 22 and 23.
If he is fit enough for the second game, he must be expecting a better performance from himself. Vikram Rathour, the batting coach, stated that despite the injury, Rahul is expected to make a full recovery in time for the game. If he recovers in time, he will lead India since regular captain Rohit Sharma will be out from the second test match as well with a thumb injury acquired in the second ODI of the series.
Who will lead India in KL Rahul’s absence?
If Rahul is unable to play in Mirpur, vice-captain Cheteshwar Pujara, who was in fantastic form in the first Test in Chattogram, will likely serve as captain. Pujara scored 90 runs in the first innings before getting 102 not out in the second. Abhimanyu Easwaran, who was added to the squad after Rohit’s injury, may make his Test debut as a result of Rahul’s injury.
If Rahul is unable to play in Mirpur, vice-captain Cheteshwar Pujara, who was in fantastic form in the first Test in Chattogram, will likely serve as captain. Pujara scored 90 runs in the first innings before getting 102 not out in the second. Abhimanyu Easwaran, who was added to the squad after Rohit’s injury, may make his Test debut as a result of Rahul’s injury.
In two unofficial Test matches against Bangladesh A, the Bengal right-hander scored two centuries for India A, demonstrating his proficient batting on these kinds of wickets. Several key players from India’s front line are also out of the series due to injuries, including the pace combination of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami as well as all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
Indian Squad for 2nd Test: KL Rahul (C), Cheteshwar Pujara (VC), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Mohd. Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Saurabh Kumar, and Jaydev Unadkat