India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test Predicted XI: Ajinkya Rahane Can Make Way For Virat Kohli

Team India are expected to make a few changes going into the second Test match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, starting from December 3. With Virat Kohli set to make a comeback after some much-needed rest, stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane could be the one who makes way for the regular captain. In the bowling department, veteran pacer Ishant Sharma could be left out and is expected to be replaced by the impressive Mohammed Siraj. With all to play for in the decider in Mumbai, Team India will aim to start with their strongest line-up, featuring last Test's centurion Shreyas Iyer.

Here's our Team India predicted XI for the second Test against New Zealand: 

Shubman Gill: Team India will be willing to give Gill an extended run under the guidance of new head coach Rahul Dravid. Gill endured a decent outing, scoring a fifty in the first innings of the first Test.

Mayank Agarwal: Mayank has been under the pump for quite some time now and his poor show in both innings of the first Test didn't help his cause either. With a crucial Mumbai Test coming his way, Mayank will look to better his aggregate of 30 runs from the first game.

Cheteshwar Pujara: Pujara will be kicking himself after throwing away starts in both innings. Getting out in the mid 20s is what he will be looking to improve upon going into the second Test.

Virat Kohli: Kohli's inclusion into the squad can be the most talked about as he could be the one replacing stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane.

Shreyas Iyer: Shreyas Iyer will be the first name to make it to the final XI for the Mumbai Test following his more than impressive debut. He scored an epic century and followed it up with a fifty in the second innings.

Ravindra Jadeja: Jadeja had a mixed outing in the Kanpur Test. He started with a bang as he raced to yet another fifty but failed to get off the mark in the second innings. With the ball, he took one wicket in the first innings and followed with impressive figures of four wickets for 40 runs in 28 overs in the second innings.

Wriddhiman Saha: With KS Bharat displaying immense potential behind the wickets, Saha had to put up a decent show to keep his place in the side. He remained not out on 61 runs and steered India in putting up a decent target on the board.

Ravichandran Ashwin: Ashwin ended with a total of six wickets and also scored 70 runs in the match as he went past Harbhajan Singh in the list of highest wicket-takers for India.

Axar Patel: Axar has had one of the most high-profile debuts in Test cricket with five five-wicket hauls in four Tests for the country. These figures will make it hard for the team management to ignore him.

Umesh Yadav: Yadav has shown time and time again how intelligent he is while bowling on the subcontinent pitches.

Mohammed Siraj: Siraj could be brought in place of a lackluster Ishant Sharma for the second Test. Siraj has had a tremendous start to his Test career and has done well in the limited outings he has had.

Topics mentioned in this article

Virat Kohli Shreyas Iyer Ajinkya Rahane Ravichandran Ashwin India Cricket Team New Zealand Cricket Team Cricket India vs New Zealand 2021 India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test