Ind Vs Eng 2nd Test: Axar Patel Set To Make A Return In The Second Test, Nadeem To Miss Out

Axar Patel has been declared fit to play in the second Test match against England as confirmed by BCCI on their official website. Had been out due to a knee injury. Will Kohli be in dilemma between Kuldeep and Axar?

(File Photo/AFP)

India vs England 2^nd Test match is all set to begin on Saturday at the same Chepauk stadium in Chennai. This time, with fans in attendance for the first time since the pandemic kicked-in. Axar Patel was ruled out during the first Test due to complaints of an injury in his left knee. As per BCCI’s official website, the bowler is fit and available for selection. Meanwhile, Rahul Chahar and Shahbaz Nadeem’s names have been taken off the main squad list and have been included in the list of stand-by players again. Thus, making it clear that Nadeem won’t be included in the team against England.

India lost to England by 227 runs in the first Test match. It wasn’t a result that Virat Kohli would have expected in his wildest dreams. But India lost and the captain was criticized for many things including the tea selection. He was criticized for the exclusion of Kuldeep Yadav and the team’s overall batting performance. But now, Axar Patel who was unfit for the first Test is all set to make a return in to the team. BCCI also posted a video of him bowling in the nets on Twitter:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Look, who is back in the nets! <a href="https://twitter.com/akshar2026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>@akshar2026</a> is here and raring to go! <a href="https://twitter.com/Paytm?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>@Paytm</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>#TeamIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvENG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>#INDvENG</a> <a href="https://t.co/HdaO9MgS9q" rel='nofollow'>pic.twitter.com/HdaO9MgS9q</a></p>&mdash; BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1359826154534756352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>February 11, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

But the big question now is whom will captain Kohli pick in the eleven. He has three options and two places for spinners as Ashwin is sure to occupy one of the three available slots. So, the decision would be between Axar, Kuldeep and Sundar. Recently Kuldeep’s coach also criticized the team management for sidelining the left-arm chinaman bowler.

Indian team looks all prepared to go in the second Test. The strategies would be changing, team selection would be crucial and all eyes would be on Virat Kohli at the toss on Saturday.