Why are Mohammed Siraj and Mark Wood not playing 2nd Test between India vs England 2024?

The second Test between India and England is set to commence on Friday, February 2, in Visakhapatnam. The tourists have a crucial 1-0 lead in the series after a dramatic 28-run win in the first Test in Hyderabad.

At the toss, both captains announced multiple changes to their respective playing XIs. While India made three changes, England had two players coming in. KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja were ruled out of the second Test due to injuries. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma stated that pacer Mohammed Siraj has been rested to manage his workload and he has been replaced by Mukesh Kumar.

England announced their playing XI on Thursday and they didn't make any alterations to that. Debutant Shoaib Bashir came in for the injured Jack Leach, while the experienced James Anderson stepped in for Mark Wood.

Click here: IND vs ENG Live Score, 2nd Test

The hosts will also have a debutant in their ranks, as the talented Rajat Patidar was named in the playing XI. He received his maiden Test cap from the legendary Zaheer Khan. Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav is also in the side, and he will be playing a Test match after 13 months.

For the unversed, KL Rahul complained of pain in his right quadriceps and was subsequently pulled out of the squad for the second Test. Jadeja, on the other hand, sustained a hamstring injury during play on Day 4 of the Hyderabad Test. Meanwhile, Leach suffered a knee injury during the first Test and was subsequently ruled out of selection.

What did the captains say at the toss?

Rohit won the toss and elected to bat first. He wanted his team to move on from the Hyderabad defeat and execute their plans in the second Test. England skipper Ben Stokes admitted that he would have also batted first had he won the toss. He said that the team is taking a lot of confidence into this game after the Hyderabad result but also emphasized living in the present.

Rohit Sharma: We'll bat first. Looks a good pitch, the pitch will do its thing, we need to play good cricket. What happened in Hyderabad is history, we need to move on. We have spoken on things we need to do, now we need to execute on our plans. I thought we batted well in the first innings, but didn't have the same intent. Similarly, in the second innings with the bowl there was a brilliant knock by Ollie Pope. Injuries are part and parcel of the game, but that's why we have the guys sitting on the bench. Two unforced changes (meant forced) - Jadeja and KL miss out, and Siraj has been rested. We've got Mukesh, Kuldeep and Rajat Patidar making his debut.

Ben Stokes: Would have batted as well. It was a great last week, but we know India will come back hard. To come from behind like we did was very pleasing. We'll take the confidence from that, but new week now. It is an amazing atmosphere to play in for the boys. To get such an opportunity at the start of their career will do wonders for their confidence. Two changes - Shoaib Bashir and James Anderson come in for Jack Leach and Mark Wood.

India Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Srikar Bharat (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mukesh Kumar

England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes (WK), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson