India captain Rohit Sharma finds himself in the line of fire after the team’s defeat to England in the first Test of the 5-match series in Hyderabad. India’s loss saw experts questioning Rohit’s tactics and the team’s intent against an England side that came prepared. Former India wicket-keeper batter Parthiv Patel questioned Rohit’s reluctance to use Mohammed Siraj in the bowling attack, insisting if the pacer is to be used so sporadically, he shouldn’t even be picked in the team.

The Indian team went with three spinners and two pacers for the first Test. While Siraj was used for only 11 overs in the entire match, his pace bowling partner Jasprit Bumrah bowled 24.4 overs, picking up a total of 6 wickets. Siraj, on the other hand, was wicket-less.

Parthiv feels India should’ve picked another batter in place of Siraj if they didn’t want to fully use him in Hyderabad.

“There is no doubt that 3 spinners are enough, but I have a different perspective. You have used Siraj for only 6 or 7 overs throughout the Test match. Axar Patel played ahead of Kuldeep Yadav due to his batting abilities, as mentioned by Rohit Sharma before the Test match. If you need variety, you could pick Kuldeep ahead of Axar,” Parthiv told Jio Cinema.

“And if you are not using Siraj much, then why not play an extra pure batter. So, you will have three types of bowlers in Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep, and the extra batter will add depth to the batting. And there’s no point playing someone if you are going to give him only 7 overs,” he further said.

With Ravindra Jadeja a doubt for the second Test at Vizag, the Indian team is likely to bring changes in the playing XI. If Jadeja does miss out, Kuldeep Yadav is leading the race to replace him in the team.