Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer could have to pay a heavy price unless they make significant contributions in the second Test against England, beginning in Visakhapatnam from Friday.
Having moved on from the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, the national selectors had bet heavily on these two to give stability to the top-order. But they have failed to consistently convert their white ball success in Test cricket.
Injuries to KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja have come as a huge blow to India’s batting with Rajat Patidar set to make his debut in Visakhapatnam. If the think-tank decide to play six batters, Sarfaraz Khan may also be considered.
It is understood that Iyer could be asked to sort out his technical problems in domestic cricket in the event of another failure. Iyer, who had problems with the short-pitched stuff on foreign shores, has even failed to do justice to his reputation of being comfortable against spin.
The problem has often been attributed to the batters’ lack of exposure to first-class cricket, an issue the selectors want to deal with seriously.
In the event of a Patidar or a Sarfaraz getting runs, there’s a high chance they could be persisted with once the regulars like Virat Kohli and Rahul are back in the fold.
Indian batters’ struggles against left-arm and off spinners are well documented in the last few home series and the selectors are hell bent on making amends.
The Indians may be up against Shoaib Bashir following Tom Hartley’s exploits, besides Jack Leach.
