India Cricket Team will aim to level the ongoing IND vs ENG Test series 1-1 after losing the 1st Test in Hyderabad by 28 runs. Rohit Sharma & Co will take on the visitors in the 2nd Test in Vishakhapatnam, with the spinners from both sides expected to take the center stage once again.
IND vs ENG 2nd Test: Who will gain upper hand in Vizag war?
India will be playing without the services of the experienced trio of Virat Kohli-KLRahul-Ravindra Jadeja. Instead, domestic sensation Sarfaraz Khan along with Rajat Patidar and Saurabh Kumar will fight for spots. Riding on the back of impressive performances in the domestic circuit, it will be imperative of all these stars to prove their worth to the selectors.
While the openers Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal pretty much did their jobs in the 1st Test, it will be imperative for them to survive and contribute much more. This means more trouble for young Shubman Gill, who has had a miserable number of outings in his last few Tests.
How will India line up?
Prolific middle order battler Shreyas Iyer also faces a steep challenge after failing to deliver in the 1st Hyderabad Test. Saurabh Kumar may have to wait as Axar Patel is a better batter in the side. And India are unlikely to go with multiple debutants after going down 0-1 in the series. Kuldeep Yadav is the one who will get a rare chance with Ravindra Jadeja ruled out.
From where the 2nd Test is poised at currently, both sides will be aiming to play spin as a potential weapon against each other. England have already announced their Playing XI going with three spinners. Veteran James Anderson is the only seamer in the side. It is still unclear whether Ben Stokes will bowl.
England’s star of the 1st Test – Tom Hartley – will play a crucial role in the 2nd Test as well. In the potential absence of Jack Leach, Hartley is expected to play a crucial role, along with Joe Root. Ben Stokes, meanwhile, will resume bowling, marking a positive sign for the visitors.
Apart from him, Shoaib Bashir will be an important inclusion for the side. The spinner, much to the frustration of skipper Ben Stokes, missed the 1st Test over delays regarding his visa.
The IND vs ENG 2nd Test is all set to begin from February 2 in Vishakapatnam. The five-match Test series is currently in England’s favour, as they lead 1-0.
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