IND Vs ENG: BCCI has announced the replacement of Virat Kohli for the first two matches of the 5 Test match series against England starting from January 25. In place of Virat Kohli, his teammate Rajat Patidar has got a chance in RCB. Virat Kohli is not available to play in the first two Tests due to personal reasons. Sarfaraz Khan's name was also included in the race to replace Virat Kohli. But Sarfaraz Khan will remain associated with India A for the time being.
Rajat Patidar has also joined Team India in Hyderabad for the first two Tests. According to the report of Cricbuzz, Rajat Patidar has got the benefit of his excellent form and he got the ticket of Team India instead of Sarfaraz Khan. Playing for India A, Rajat Patidar played an inning of 151 runs against England Lions. Even during the South Africa tour last month, Rajat Patidar played an inning of 111 runs for India A. Due to his excellent form, Rajat Patidar got entry in Team India.
Roads closed for Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara
It was being claimed in the reports that Cheteshwar Pujara could get a place in the team in place of Virat Kohli. Pujara has shown excellent form in the Ranji Trophy and recently managed to score a double century. But now the doors to Team India are almost closed for Pujara. Whereas Ajinkya Rahane is not able to do wonders even in Ranji Trophy. Therefore, there is no possibility of his return. For the series against England, India has expressed confidence only in young players like Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer. However, if these two players are not able to perform in this series, then it will be very difficult for them to retain their place in the team.
