Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer named a player who will make way for Virat Kohli in the second Test against New Zealand in Mumbai.
Team India will face New Zealand in the second Test match in Mumbai on 3rd December. Heading into the second game of the series, the hosts will have a massive headache.
With Virat Kohli set to return to the Team for the next match and Shreyas Iyer scoring a century and half-century in his debut Test, it would be interesting to see which batter will make way for the skipper in the playing XI.
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While many say, Ajinkya Rahane being in poor form should make way for Virat Kohli in the side, some say that despite Shreyas Iyer’s heroics in Test debut he should make way for the senior batter.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer pointed out that there’ll be a toss-up between Mayank Agarwal and Ajinkya Rahane to make way for Virat Kohli in the side. He added that it now depends on the skipper to take the call on whom he wants in the XI.
He admitted that it’s a tough call but said that it depends on whom the sword falls.
“It’s a toss-up between Mayank Agarwal and Ajinkya Rahane. I would think on those two. That’s the toss-up that Virat Kohli has to make. Whether he wants to go with Mayank Agarwal and give him another go or whether [he thinks] Ajinkya Rahane hasn’t got enough runs in the last 10-12 Test matches after that Melbourne Test so he goes out. It’s a tough call, definitely a tough call. It depends on whom the sword falls on,” Wasim Jaffer said.
Jaffer further suggested that Team India should open with Wriddhiman Saha and leave out Mayank Agarwal as then everyone will bat at their respective positions.
He mentioned that Saha opening the innings will not be a long-term call as India will tour South Africa next month and they can only consider this in the next Test against New Zealand in Mumbai.
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“I think I will open with Saha if at all Mayank Agarwal goes out because then everybody bats out of their position. Pujara will open and then Ajinkya Rahane will bat at some other position…
“If Saha opens then everyone bats at the same position. And you can do that in Indian conditions with Saha. Is it a long-term call? Definitely not because India will go to South Africa. So, they’ll have to reconsider their top-six for Mumbai,” he said.
Notably, both Ajinkya Rahane and Mayank Agarwal failed to make an impact with the bat in the ongoing first Test match against New Zealand in Kanpur. While the opener scored 13 and 17 in two innings, the stand-in skipper registered scores of 35 and 4.
(ESPNCricinfo inputs)
