India Ring The Changes For Second Test

India Ring The Changes For Second Test

Suresh Raina is the latest batsman to be called into the Test squad as cover for injuries.

©REUTERS/Arko Datta. Picture supplied by Action Images

The Indian selectors have wasted little time in reacting to the innings defeat in the opening Test against South Africa, making a number of changes to the squad ahead of the second Test in Kolkata.

Wriddhaman Saha, Rohit Sharma, Abhimanyu Mithun and Sudeep Tyagi have all been dropped while Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth are named in the squad for the match which gets underway on 14th February at Eden Gardens.

India must win the game to avoid losing their number one ranking in Tests and the exclusion of Sharma would appear to suggest that VVS Laxman is fit and ready to play after missing the opening match with a finger injury.

Raina and Karthik have been in solid form in first-class cricket this season, Karthik scoring a century in either innings of the Duleep Trophy Final before ending up on the losing side.

Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh are still missing through injury, however, meaning that India will still not be at full strength for the match despite the potential returns of Laxman and Sreesanth.

India Test squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Subramaniam Badrinath, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Zaheer Khan, VVS Laxman, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Suresh Raina, Virender Sehwag, Ishant Sharma, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Sachin Tendulkar, Murali Vijay

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