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Indian all-rounder Krunal Pandya has recently tested positive for COVID-19. The news caused a postponement in India's T20I series in Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue will now meet Sri Lanka on Wednesday (July 28) for the second T20I.
The second match was pushed by a day and both sides will play two games in as many days with India leading the series 1-0.
It's a no-brainer that India will be ringing in the changes for the upcoming match. The only question is if it is just Pandya who will be replaced or if the top order is also tweaked.
With the COVID-19 situation throwing a spanner in Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav's England call-up plans, it may seem the duo might have a delayed departure. That would mean both Shaw and Yadav will have to pad up for the second match.
We can assume India will pretty much go with the same squad, except for Krunal Pandya. There are enough options for Rahul Dravid to choose from to replace the left-arm spinner. We take a look at three potential choices.
#1 Krishnappa Gowtham
Krunal Pandya's positive test for COVID-19 could provide Krishnappa Gowtham an opportunity to make his T20I debut. The 32-year-old played one match in the ODI series, bagging a wicket. Gowtham will be keen to make his presence felt if he gets a go on Wednesday and will try to make himself undroppable for Thursday (July 29) as well.
Gowtham didn't play a single game for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during IPL 2021. However, he does have 13 wickets from 24 IPL matches at an economy rate of 8.26. Gowtham can also wield the long handle and score some valuable runs in the death. For now, he seems to be the most ideal choice to replace Krunal Pandya.
#2 Rahul Chahar
Deepak Chahar has made waves on this Sri Lankan tour, and now might be the time for the younger Chahar to step up and do the same. Rahul Chahar has cemented himself as a regular for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL and has a slight edge over Gowtham considering the fact he's already played three T20Is.
The 21-year-old will definitely be one of the frontrunners to replace Krunal Pandya for India in the second T20I.
#3 Kuldeep Yadav or Chetan Sakariya
If India go for an extra spinner, they will hope that their all-rounder will deliver the goods. Hardik Pandya isn't in the greatest of form, but could still come up with the goods in this crunch game. Kuldeep Yadav sat out the first match with Varun Chakravarthy making his debut. If the think-tank decides they need a three-pronged spin attack, Kuldeep Yadav could make the cut.
Another candidate could be Chetan Sakariya to bolster the pace department. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar already the two main seamers, Sakariya is a potential post-powerplay pacer. If selected, he will be expected to bowl in tandem with Yuzvendra Chahal and Chakravarthy to disrupt the Lankan batting during the middle overs.
