Parthiv Patel said that India should not include Mohammed Siraj in the playing XI if they are not planning to use the pacer much. In the first Test against England at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, Siraj bowled only 11 overs in which he conceded 50 runs and failed to pick up a wicket.

Jasprit Bumrah, Siraj’s fast-bowling partner, on the other hand, bowled 24.4 overs and got the crucial wickets of Ben Stokes, Rehan Ahmed, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Joe Root.

India vs England, 1st Test scorecard

Parthiv said that in place of Siraj, India could include a specialist batter to give their batting more depth. He also mentioned that India have the option of including Kuldeep Yadav in place of Axar Patel.

Play an extra batter: Parthiv Patel

“There is no doubt that 3 spinners are enough, but I have a different perspective. You have used Siraj for only 6 or 7 overs throughout the Test match. Axar Patel played ahead of Kuldeep Yadav due to his batting abilities, as mentioned by Rohit Sharma before the Test match. If you need variety, you could pick Kuldeep ahead of Axar,” Parthiv told Jio Cinema.

“And if you are not using Siraj much, then why not play an extra pure batter. So, you will have three types of bowlers in Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep, and the extra batter will add depth to the batting. And there’s no point playing someone if you are going to give him only 7 overs,” he added.

On Saturday, England made a stupendous turnaround and won the Hyderabad Test by 28 runs. Ollie Pope was their star performer as he won the Player of the Match award for his knock of 196 runs in the second innings. Defending 231, the Three Lions bowled India out for 202 in 69.2 overs.

India will be looking to stage a comeback when they face England in the second Test, starting Friday, February 2 at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.

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