After narrowly losing the first Test against England by 28 runs in Hyderabad, hosts India will look to make amends in the second Test in Visakhapatnam. The hosts could not seize the opportunity of winning the first Test despite taking a huge lead of 190 runs in the first innings against the visitors.
Meanwhile, former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has backed prolific domestic run-scorer Sarfaraz Khan to seize the opportunity if he gets his maiden Test cap.
“Sarfaraz Khan will have to make the most of this chance because when Virat Kohli returns, someone will have to go out. So, he cannot afford to waste this opportunity. He has worked very hard and piled up lots of runs in domestic cricket,” Harbhajan said on his official YouTube channel.
Bhajji (as Harbhajan is popularly known by his fans) also expressed his concern on how India is badly missing the services of ace batsman Virat Kohli who is currently unavailable due to personal reasons.
“There is a lack of experience in this Indian batting lineup. The batting would have looked a lot stronger had Virat Kohli been there. Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer have also struggled to get going lately,” Harbhajan added.
With KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja out from the squad for the second Test due to injuries, India are likely to induct new faces in their playing XI against spirited England side in Vishakhapatnam on Saturday.