Kuldeep Yadav or Mohammed Siraj - who should play for India in the 2nd Test vs England?
India have plenty of selection questions heading into the second Test against England, which will commence in Visakhapatnam on Friday, February 2.
Down 1-0 in the five-match series, the hosts have been dealt another blow as Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul have been ruled out of the second Test. First-choice players in Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Shami are also missing for the two-time World Test Championship finalists.
India's squad for the second Test vs England: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, Saurabh Kumar.
India have added Washington Sundar to the squad, and the off-spinning all-rounder could be a like-for-like replacement for Jadeja. Kuldeep Yadav is another option, and he could be in line to replace Mohammed Siraj. England went in with four spinners in the first Test, and the home side might be tempted to do the same. However, there are drawbacks to that approach.
Who is a better pick to be part of India's XI in the second Test - Kuldeep or Siraj?
India might need to back Kuldeep Yadav's guile and form
The first Test in Hyderabad was played on a sporting wicket, and things didn't turn out too well for the hosts. England outplayed them in both departments, especially in the second half of the encounter.
If history is anything to go by, the hosts might be tempted to dish out a rank turner or two during the upcoming four Tests. That might not be the best course of action and will play further into the visitors' hands, but that is the route India have taken in the past.
If that happens in Vizag, India will definitely want to play an additional spinner at the expense of a fast bowler. Kuldeep will certainly be in contention as he not only boasts an excellent Test record but has also been in prolific wicket-taking form lately.
Siraj bowled just 11 overs across the two innings in the series opener. He created only one wicket-taking opportunity, that was shelled by Rahul in the slips, and was the least potent of the five Indian bowlers.
Siraj isn't the kind of bowler who can consistently be deadly when the ball is reversing, so India might be tempted to field Kuldeep, who can bowl at all stages of the innings and turn the ball in both directions.
However, this would leave Jasprit Bumrah as the lone pacer. The injury-prone seamer's workload needs to be carefully managed as the grueling series wears on, and giving him too much to do might not be a smart course of action.
Rohit Sharma and Co. will certainly weigh up the pros and cons of playing Bumrah as the solitary fast bowler, and a lot will depend on the wicket that is dished out in Vizag. If there is enough turn at all stages, India will be able to comfortably use their ace spearhead in short bursts.
On the whole, it definitely makes sense for Kuldeep to play ahead of Siraj, who isn't expected to be effective at most stages of the Test. The left-arm wrist-spinner will also offer a marginal batting upgrade, and more importantly, his bowling could be the perfect counter to Bazball.
Kuldeep has been impressive throughout his Test career so far, but appearances have been few and far between thanks to the trio of spin-bowling all-rounders at India's disposal. Now that an opportunity has opened up, he needs to be unleashed.