KL Rahul and Jadeja out; Axar Patel in? These 3 changes can turn the tide in India’s favor during Pune Test

New Zealand beat India by 8 wickets in the first Test match played in Bengaluru by 8 wickets. It was a huge loss for India after having won their last 6 Test matches at home. This was the first time that New Zealand won a Test in India after 36 long years.  

Rohit Sharma lauded his team for the way they played and said at the post-match presentation, “It was a good effort with the bat in the second innings. We didn't bat well in the first innings. So knew what was ahead and couple of guys stood out. When you are 350 behind you can't think too much about it. Just got to see the ball and bat.”

Winning captain Tom Latham said, “We knew India would come back at us in the third innings but the bowlers asked nice questions with the second new ball and got the results. We know what a quality side India is in their conditions. We saw what the new ball did for us so we expected them to do the same to us.”

With the second Test scheduled in Pune, the question now arises what changes should India make to make a strong comeback in the series? The form of a few players will be looked at closely and Rohit Sharma will be keen to ring in the changes needed to put up a strong comeback in Pune. 

Here are the three likely changes India could make for the Pune Test

KL Rahul makes way for Shubman Gill?

25-year-old Shubman Gill was badly missed during the Bengaluru game. KL Rahul failed to get going and scored a total of 12 runs in the game. After scoring a duck in the first innings, the local lad was expected to bat better in the 2nd innings. Rahul, though, crumbled under pressure.

His spot could go to Shubman Gill who had missed the 1st game owing to injury. Gill could resume batting at number 3 with Kohli at four and Sarfaraz Khan likely to be slotted at number 5 or 6 as per the situation. 

Axar Patel to replace struggling Ravindra Jadeja?

A few years ago the mere thought of axing Ravindra Jadeja for a Test match could have been baulked at. The 35-year-old has been in terrible form with the bat in the recent few Test matches for India. Jadeja has scored 13 runs in his last 3 innings for India after scoring 86 runs during the Chennai Test versus Bangladesh.

It will be the right time to try Axar Patel, who hasn’t played a Test match since the home series against England. The 30-year-old could come in for the 2nd Test in Pune and give Jadeja the much-needed break to recharge his batteries. Apart from his bowling, Axar can also contribute runs with the bat which has been lacking from Jadeja in the last two Tests.  

Akash Deep as a third seamer in place of Kuldeep Yadav?

The track in Pune has generally helped pace bowlers after the poor 2017 Test against Australia. India might opt to go in for a pitch which is balanced for both the pacers and the spinners. Akash Deep will be a great choice for India during the Pune Test match with 2 spinners in the side.

The last time a game was played at this venue, India went in with 3 pace bowlers Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and Umesh Yadav. The track offers lots of bounce in the early part of the day and reverse swing during the latter half. This is where Akash Deep could come in and do the job and Kuldeep Yadav would have to make way for the 28-year-old.