"We don't know if Rohit Sharma will come back or not" - Ajit Agarkar on Team India's likely changes for the 2nd Test

Ajit Agarkar is unsure whether Rohit Sharma will be back to lead Team India in the second Test against Bangladesh. The former Indian pacer reckons the visitors will not make too many changes to their playing XI from the previous game.

The final game of the two-match series will be played in Mirpur from December 22. KL Rahul and Co. registered an emphatic 188-run win in the first Test in Chattogram in their regular skipper's absence due to a thumb injury.

During a discussion on Sony Sports, Agarkar was asked about his thoughts on India's probable changes for the second Test. Regarding Rohit's availability, he said:

"We don't know if Rohit Sharma will come back or not but there is no news as of now, so it is unlikely that he will come. We would have known by now if he was supposed to be going to Bangladesh."

Agarkar doesn't see India making any changes in the batting department if Rohit is unavailable. He observed:

"So it seems like his finger has not fully healed. If he is not there, there can be an odd change in the bowling, depending on the conditions, otherwise, you have just won the Test match."

Rohit injured his thumb while attempting a catch at second slip in the second ODI against Bangladesh. He traveled back to India to recuperate from the injury and has reportedly been ruled out of the second Test as well.

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"The conditions will probably change" - Ajit Agarkar feels India might play an additional seamer

Shardul Thakur might come into India's playing XI if they look to play an additional seamer.

Agarkar reckons the surface in Mirpur might not be as batting-friendly as the one in Chattogram. He stated:

"I think the conditions will probably change. They were slightly better here for batting. We have seen that it was slightly challenging for the batters in Mirpur even in the ODIs."

The cricketer-turned-commentator feels India could play an additional seamer ahead of a spinner in Mirpur, elaborating:

"So an additional seamer might come in if there is help for seam bowling. One spinner might have to miss, who knows? I don't think they will make too many changes because the ball had spun a little there in the ODIs. Actually, it was getting stuck on the pitch, it didn't spin that much."

It will be a tough call for India if they have to include an additional seamer at the expense of a spinner. While the seasoned Ravichandran Ashwin picked up just one wicket in the Chattogram Test, the relatively inexperienced duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel shone with the ball.