IND vs WI: Former cricketer predicts Shardul Thakur will be dropped from India playing XI for second Test

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Former cricketer Saba Karim has predicted India's playing eleven for the second Test against West Indies and said that Shardul Thakur could be replaced by a pacer or a spinner depending on the conditions at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Karim, who played one Test and 34 ODI matches for India, said in case of a turning track like the one in the first Test match in Dominica, Axar Patel could come in for Shardul. He said the Mumbai all-rounder could be replaced by Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar in case a pace-friendly track is on offer.

“If a similar track like what we saw in Dominica is dished out for Port of Spain, then I do expect a third spinner Axar Patel to come in place of Shardul Thakur. If the West Indian think tank goes with a pace friendly track, then there is a strong possibility that India may well bring in Navdeep Saini or Mukesh Kumar in place of Shardul Thakur," JioCinema expert Sab Karim said.

Aakash Chopra's India predicted XI for second Test vs West Indies

However, Aakash Chopra has opined that there would be a change only in case of a spin-friendly wicket which will bring in Axar Patel as the third spinner alongside Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.

“If it is a pitch that is very similar to the pitch in Dominica, then I see one of the faster bowlers being rested and Axar Patel playing in the final eleven. But I’m also expecting that there will be a bit more grass on the surface, there will be a bit more moisture on the surface. If that’s the case, it could be the identical eleven that played in Dominica, could be playing in the 2nd test match too," Chopra told JioCinema.

JioCinema expert Abhinav Mukund felt the Indian team would not make too many changes. “After that dominating win in Dominica, I don’t think there will be too many changes. But if there are any, I would like to see a fast bowler coming in, someone like Navdeep Saini or Mukesh Kumar, someone like them who can play a 3rd seamer’s role. But even that looks unlikely. More or less, I think India will go with the same eleven.”

Notably, the match between the two teams will be their 100th Test match against each other and the fixture will also be Virat Kohli’s 500th international match.