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'When Virat Kohli returns…': Harbhajan Singh details challenge for uncapped star in India vs England 2nd Test
Harbhajan Singh wants the uncapped star to make the most of the opportunity if he makes his debut in India's 2nd Test against England.
With Ben Stokes and Co. registering an unlikely win over Rohit Sharma's men in Hyderabad, Rahul Dravid-coached Team India will go back to the drawing board to restore parity in the five-match series on Friday. Hosts India will meet England in the second Test at Visakhapatnam with an aim to level the series 1-1 in the ongoing edition of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC).
After losing the series opener to Bazball-friendly England, India suffered a twin setback as Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul were ruled out of the 2nd Test due to their respective injuries. India have roped in Sarfaraz Khan, Sourabh Kumar and Washington Sundar as reinforcements for the 2nd Test against England. For the hosts, it will be tough to pick one among Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar in the upcoming Test match against England.
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'Sarfaraz Khan will have to make the most of this chance'
Throwing weight behind Sarfaraz on his official YouTube channel, legendary Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh feels the uncapped batter should make the most of the opportunity in the England series. "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 a lot of runs in domestic cricket," Harbhajan said.
'India's batting looks very weak'
"India's batting looks very weak. Rohit Sharma is the only experienced batter in the squad. After him, if you look at the stats, Ravichandran Ashwin has the most runs under his belt," he added. Thanks to Ollie Pope's batting masterclass in the series opener, India recorded its fourth defeat in a home Test in the last 10 years. Pope's brilliant 196-run knock powered England to a thrilling 28-run win over India in the 1st Test.
'Lack of experience'
Harbhajan also asserted that India are missing the services of run-machine Virat Kohli, who is unavailable for personal reasons. Kohli is expected to return for the 3rd Test against England. "There is a lack of experience in this Indian batting lineup. The batting would have looked a lot stronger had Virat Kohli been there. The likes of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer have also struggled to get going lately," Harbhajan added.
