A 7-wicket loss against New Zealand, India has left in a spot of bother. The second face-off on Sunday in Hamilton becomes a do-or-die game for the men in blue and in order to win that, they will be looking to make lesser mistakes as compared to that of Auckland. Shikhar Dhawan and his men failed to defend a challenging scored of 306 runs   as they lacked a sixth bowling option. The Black Caps were 88 for 3 at one stage but captain Kane Williamson and Tom Latham made a match-winning partnership of 221 runs.

To level the series 1-1, India would require making some changes to the playing XI so that the balance could be achieved. Speaking about the same, former Indian opener, Wasim Jaffer opined that including Deepak Chahar in the playing XI would add depth to the batting line-up and also, the top-order batters could play with more freedom.

In a conversation with ESPN Cricinfo, Wasim Jaffer opined that Kuldeep Yadav may get a chance in place of Yuzvendra Chahal but Rishabh Pant won’t get replaced.

Talking about Kuldeep Yadav during a chat with ESPNCricinfo, Wasim Jaffer said, “We may see Kuldeep Yadav playing in place of Yuzvendra Chahal. I think the Chinaman bowler brings more mystery to the table. Also, maybe Arshdeep get replaced by Deepak Chahar because then you will have depth in the batting. Chahar can swing the ball and since he adds strength to batting, the top-order batters can play more fearlessly.”

He further added, “Deepak Hooda is indeed a tempting option, but I don’t think he would replace Rishabh Pant who is irreplaceable, especially in this format.”

The second ODI between India and New Zealand will be taking place at the Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday.