Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Dinesh Karthik suggested that India should make two changes to their playing XI for the second ODI against the West Indies. Karthik reckons India should drop Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar and include Mohammed Siraj and Auqib Nabi Dar in the final XI.
Krishna returned with figures of 2-60 in his quota of 10 overs whereas Brar bagged 0-60 in his 10 overs in the series opener on Sunday.
On the other hand, Siraj was left out of the opening game despite having all the experience under his belt. Auqib Nabi Dar is yet to make his ODI debut thus far for the team.
“I feel they can bring in Siraj, and rest one of the pacers, Prasidh Krishna or Gurnoor Brar. You can also remove both Gurnoor and Prasidh, and give Siraj and Auqib Nabi. I do feel this is a series where you need to try out people and see where they stand, so that for the near future you know exactly what you want. If you feel one of the players fit in, then get him in,” Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
On the other hand, former Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane backed India to play with an unchanged playing XI and added this is the right time to back Gurnoor Brar, who has been a tad expensive in the last few outings.
“I don’t think they have to do anything different, we know the conditions here really well. The challenge is that the World Cup will be held in South Africa, the conditions there will be completely different. The important thing for them is to keep the combination going, back your players completely. Siraj might come in, but this is the time to back Gurnoor. We can see how he reacts in successive games, how he performs and bowls in different situations. We all know what kind of a bowler Siraj is, but this is the time to see how Gurnoor reacts,” Ajinkya Rahane opined.
The second ODI between India and the West Indies will be played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, on Wednesday.
