India's predicted playing XI for the 2nd Test vs England in Vizag

India will look to pull level in the five-match series when they take on England in the second Test, which commences on Friday, February 2, in Visakhapatnam.

The hosts will be without KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, who have been ruled out of the second Test with injuries sustained in the series opener. Virat Kohli, who withdrew from the first two matches ahead of the rubber, is another notable absentee. Changes seem inevitable for India.

India's squad for the second Test vs England: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, Saurabh Kumar.

Here is India's predicted playing XI for the second Test against England.

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Openers: Rohit Sharma (c) and Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal bats: India v England - 1st Test Match: Day One

India's opening combination is unlikely to change for the second Test.

The pressure will be on captain Rohit Sharma, whose leadership came under scrutiny in Hyderabad. He will also need to make a notable score or two. Yashasvi Jaiswal, meanwhile, will want to build on his first-innings display from the previous game.

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Middle order: Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wk), Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar

Shreyas Iyer in action: India v England - 1st Test Match: Day Two

KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja are out of the mix for the second Test, while Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer have been in a poor run of form of late. This has given India a few selection questions to think about.

The think tank is likely to keep faith in Gill and Shreyas, who are two players with a massive upside. And unless they are willing to go in with just four bowlers, the management will be able to pick only one of Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar.

Patidar was in the squad before Sarfaraz and has been in good form lately, so he could be ahead in the pecking order. He could bat at either No. 3 or No. 4, with Gill struggling to come to terms with the position he is currently batting in.

KS Bharat and Axar Patel will have hugely important roles to play in the middle order. While the former did a good job in the first Test, the latter will have a lot on his plate in Jadeja's absence with the ball.

Speaking of Jadeja's absence, India's best bet might be to play Washington Sundar as a like-for-like replacement. The off-spinning all-rounder will give the side an additional left-hander to break up the band of righties in the middle order.

There are a few avenues India can take, with various pros and cons, but this might be the most stable one.

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Lower order: Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, and Kuldeep Yadav

Ravichandran Ashwin will need to lead the spin attack in Vizag

Ravichandran Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah are guaranteed to feature in Vizag. While Bumrah's workload will need to be managed and the turnaround between the first two Tests is short, there is enough of a gap before the third Test to suggest that he should be able to play.

Mohammed Siraj bowled only 11 overs in the first Test, and with another turner on the cards, he could be replaced by Kuldeep Yadav, who featured prominently during the pre-match practice sessions. The left-arm wrist-spinner will have an important role to play against England's power-packed batting lineup.

Saurabh Kumar has been added to the squad, but he might be consigned to the bench for now.