3 changes India should make for the 2nd Test vs Australia
Team India went with a stable playing XI for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which they won by an innings and 132 runs to make an early statement.
The hosts went in with their tried-and-tested spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja. Captain Rohit Sharma was the standout batter as he recorded a superb century. The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli weren't amongst the runs, but their places in the side are safe.
Others, however, might not be as lucky. With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy caravan moving from Nagpur to Delhi, Rohit and the team management might tinker with a few combinations.
India are unlikely to switch things up too much after such a convincing win, but it might be in their best interests to drop a couple of underperforming players.
Here are three changes India should make for the second Test against Australia.
#3 Shreyas Iyer for Suryakumar Yadav
India received a welcome boost ahead of the second Test as Shreyas Iyer, who missed the opening game with a back injury, joined the squad.
Iyer was one of India's best batters in Test cricket in 2022. He played five matches, notching up 422 runs at an average of 60.29 and a strike rate of 68.84. The middle-order batter played a few terrific innings on turning tracks to bail the side out of tricky situations.
Iyer is an excellent player of spin and should walk back into India's playing XI. That's bound to happen at the expense of Suryakumar Yadav, who couldn't impress on debut in Nagpur. The hosts would love to have a batter as dependable as Iyer at either No. 5 or No. 6.
#2 Umesh Yadav for Mohammed Siraj
This isn't an issue with performance at all as Mohammed Siraj has been one of India's standout bowlers across formats. He also set the tone for the side's commanding performance in the series opener with his dismissal of Usman Khawaja.
However, there are three Tests to come, and Siraj has played a lot of cricket in the lead-up to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
It might be in India's best interests to give the pacer a breather and bring in Umesh Yadav, who has an excellent home record. The veteran is the only fast-bowling option on the bench, with Jaydev Unadkat playing in the Ranji Trophy final for Saurashtra.
In two Tests in Delhi, Umesh has picked up seven wickets at an impressive average of 18.43. He knows the conditions well and could make an impact if picked.
#1 Shubman Gill for KL Rahul
KL Rahul's Test form has, quite simply, fallen off a cliff. The batter endured a miserable 2022 as he scored just 137 runs in four matches at an average of 17.13 and a strike rate of 36.15.
In the series opener, Rahul managed 20 runs before spooning a return catch to debutant Todd Murphy in tame fashion. He inspires no confidence and has found ways to get out against both pace and spin with his constant indecisiveness.
Shubman Gill, who has been in red-hot form across formats over the last few months, is an excellent option at India's disposal. This is unlikely to happen, with batting coach Vikram Rathour throwing his weight behind the struggling opener. However, it's definitely a decision that the hosts should consider making.