India made two changes to their playing XI for the second Test against England in Chennai.
Team India made three changes to the side which faced a 227-run defeat in the opening Test of the four-match series against England. Left-arm spinner Axar Patel makes his debut for the side, while Kuldeep Yadav is also included in the XI as Virat Kohli opted to bat after winning the toss.
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was rested to manage workload. Mohammed Siraj, who was the highest wicket-taker for the Indian team in the Test series in Australia, makes a comeback to the XI.
India must avoid a defeat to keep their hopes alive for qualification to the final of the World Test Championship. New Zealand have already qualified for the final at Lord's.
To qualify for the final, India need to defeat England by either 2-1 or 3-1 in the series.
The Indian team management backed Rohit Sharma for the opening role despite a series of low scores since the Mumbai batsman made a return to the lineup in December last year.
Rishabh Pant continues at the wicketkeeper's role, following another impressive performance with the bat in the Chennai Test. India decided to stick with three spin options in the lineup, as Shahbaz Nadeem and Washington Sundar make way for Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel.
Yadav makes an appearance in the Test side after over two years, having last appeared in the XI against Australia in January 2019.
Patel, meanwhile, made his last India appearance in Feburary 2018 and is drafted into the squad due to the absence of first-choice spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
The pacers for the 2nd Test remain unchanged as Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma retain their places, while Ravichandran Ashwin continues to lead the spin attack.
Here is the full Playing XI:
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk/b), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav
