Prior to their opening match in the five-match Test series starting on Thursday, January 25, Team India players were spotted working hard at Uppal Stadium in Hyderabad. Prominent figures like KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma could be seen pulling into the venue on the squad van in a video that the Indian Cricket Board released. The players were observed performing their fielding routines following a brief warm-up.
KS Bharat may be the wicketkeeper-batter in this series after he was seen practicing his wicketkeeping. Then, it was seen that players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer were inserting the hard yard into the nets. Spotted bowling at the nets featured Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Ravichandran Ashwin, as well as Kuldeep Yadav.
After around three hours of training, the video concluded with captain Rohit Sharma joking around with his teammates. For personal reasons, star batsman Virat Kohli has withdrawn from the initial two Test matches against England.
Shreyas Iyer might bat at No. 4, with KS Bharat slotting in place of Virat Kohli in the line-up. Iyer has demonstrated that he is among the team’s top spin players. Moreover, in favourable circumstances, he can be the enforcer and change the tide of the match.
The Uppal Stadium in Hyderabad is ready for some Test action…!!! ?pic.twitter.com/gHk1zAmgjq
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) January 23, 2024
Who will replace Virat Kohli in Team India’s playing XI for the first two Tests?
KL Rahul, who was given another chance in the middle order, may bat at No. 5 as a genuine batter. With his recent century for India A versus the England Lions, KS Bharat has provided the team management cause to believe in his batting prowess.
Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, as well as Ravichandran Ashwin are examples of spin-bowling all-rounders who will provide India with the batting depth they love while playing at home.
The hosts possess adequate quality when it comes to batting to take on England even without Virat Kohli. If Team India want to produce standout performances, it will be intriguing to watch how the batters perform this time.
