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Pick Axar, Drop Shardul | Aakash Chopra Bats For Spinning All-Rounder's Inclusion

image-lkb4pcjpAxar Patel has done well for India in Test cricket (Twitter)

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra believes that the visitors could pick an extra spinner in the form of Axar Patel in place of Shardul Thakur for the 2nd Test against the West Indies.

India will lock horns with the home side at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad from July 20, and Chopra believes that the tourists may beef up their spin stocks, should they get a surface similar to what they got in Dominica.

"If it is a pitch that is very similar to the pitch in Dominica, then I see one of the faster bowlers being rested and Axar Patel playing in the final eleven," Chopra said on Jio Cinema in the lead-up to the second Test.

However, he also added that with the weather in Trinidad expected to be overcast, the consequent moisture in the surface could force the Indian team to persist with the same XI.

"But I'm also expecting that there will be a bit more grass on the surface, there will be a bit more moisture on the surface. If that’s the case, it could be the identical eleven that played in Dominica, could be playing in the 2nd test match too," Chopra further added.

While the conditions at the Queen's Park Oval have traditionally been a spin-friendly venue, the past decade paints a different picture, with spinners averaging 36.65 as opposed to pacers, who are averaging 30.21 in 3 Tests since July 2013.