Sai Sudharsan likely to replace Gill; Axar and Nitish in contention for second Test

India may bring in Sai Sudharsan for Shubman Gill in the second Test against South Africa at Guwahati. Rishabh Pant is set to captain, while Axar Patel and Nitish Reddy are vying for a slot depending on pitch conditions

Guwahati: India skipper Shubman Gill is likely to be replaced by Sai Sudharsan in the second Test against South Africa, while spin bowling all-rounder Axar Patel and seam bowling all-rounder Nitish Reddy will fight for the other slot available in the playing eleven for the game starting here Saturday.

The Indian team management has kept the media guessing but Rishabh Pant is set to become India’s 38th Test captain.

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This raises the question of possible changes to the Indian playing eleven on a Barsapara Stadium track that could be slightly better compared to the Eden strip.

It remains to be seen if grass is shaved off from the top and whether the two BCCI curators Taposh Chatterjee and Ashish Bhowmick once again make use of scrubbers, which can lead to loosening up of top soil and create uneven bounce.

If one looks at Gill’s replacement, the best bet among the reserves seems to be Sudharsan, who has already played five Tests but with very little to show for his efforts.

In terms of talent, there is not much to choose between Padikkal and Sudharsan, with both being left-handers.

One of the interesting aspects will be the No.3 slot where Sudharsan batted in earlier games. However, the more experienced Washington did a fair job across both innings.

In that case, Sudharsan can bat at No.6, allowing Washington to settle in his new position.

The second part of the jigsaw puzzle is whether playing four spinners is a luxury, and obviously on diabolical surfaces, one will certainly be under-bowled.

Even though Axar Patel batted well in the second innings in Kolkata, when it comes to choice as a spinner, he is way behind Kuldeep Yadav, who loses out because of his inferior batting.

But in case the grass is persisted with, keeping the bind of red soil track intact, then Nitish Reddy, who also is a right-hander, will come into the equation.