India missed several first-choice players in the second Test in Vizag.
The third Test is slated to get underway after an extended break on February 15 in Rajkot. During this 10-day gap, the visiting side will head to the UAE for a preparatory camp while some key decisions will be taken regarding the future of some of the Indian players in the series.
After the end of the second Test, India skipper Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar were spotted having an intense discussion, possibly talking about the road ahead.
Notably, the hosts missed several first-choice players in the Vizag Test. While Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul couldn’t feature in the match due to injuries, Virat Kohli didn’t participate in the first two Tests due to personal reasons.
Considering the fearless brand of cricket England have played in the first two Tests, this series may not be like many in the past in which India have annihilated oppositions.
Hence, the immediate post-match discussion between Rohit and Agarkar indicates that India are wasting no time in putting together the best possible squad for the next three Tests, likely to be announced this week itself.
As the visuals of Rohit and Agarkar’s discussion emerged, former England skipper Kevin Pietersen claimed that the chat was about finding a way to somehow get Kohli back in the scheme of things.
"They are trying hard to get Virat Kohli to come back because the series is missing him," Pietersen told the official broadcasters.
The cameras also caught India head coach Rahul Dravid having an animated chat with Shreyas Iyer in the dressing room after the game. Iyer is struggling for runs in the ongoing series, returning with scores of 35, 13, 27 and 29 in the first two Tests.
Former India pacer Zaheer Khan certainly expects some changes in the Indian playing XI for the third Test.
"Expect some changes for sure, judging by what you can see here. Ravindra Jadeja's fitness, KL Rahul's fitness... will they be back or not? Whether Virat Kohli will be back or not. Mohammed Siraj for sure will come back. But from this squad, who are the guys that will be going out in terms of workload management, rest, recovery looking at the venues. So yeah, plenty of talk about and there's a lot going on in front of your screen as well. And that's what you'll see Rahul Dravid talking to Shreyas Iyer," Zaheer remarked.