2nd Test Preview: India eye redemption against confident England
India will have redemption in mind as they host England in the second Test of the five-match series, which gets underway on February 2. Having lost the series opener, Rohit Sharma's men would be gutted as they had a 190-run first-innings lead. England displayed terrific character as their 'Bazball' approach was too good for Team India. Here's the preview of the second Test.
Venue, pitch report, and streaming details
The Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam will host the 2nd Test (9:30am IST). The venue usually offers a batting-friendly wicket, which supports the seamers early on. Spinners will come into play as the match progresses. While the Sports18 Network has broadcasting rights of the series, live streaming is available on the JioCinema app and website.
Summary of the series opener
England were bowled out for 246, batting first. Ben Stokes's 70(88) fueled England's innings. India topped it by compiling 436. Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja slammed fifties. Joe Root took four wickets. England ruled in the second innings (420) as Ollie Pope made 196. Jasprit Bumrah scalped a four-fer. Tom Hartley took a seven-fer as England won by 28 runs.
A look at the head-to-head record
India and England have played 132 Tests to date. The Three Lions have won 51 matches, while India recorded 31 victories. As many as 50 matches have been drawn. England have lost their last two Test series in India but were the last ones who defeated India at home in 2012. Overall, the visitors have won 15 out of 65 Tests in India.
India to miss Rahul, Jadeja
Two of India's top performers from the opening game, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja will miss the Visakhapatnam Test due to fitness issues. Uncapped Rajat Patidar and Kuldeep Yadav are likely to be included. Meanwhile, England will be without the services of their veteran spinner Jack Leach. Young spinner Shoaib Bashir is in line to make his Test debut.
Here are the probable XIs
India (Probable XI): Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Srikar Bharat (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj. England (Probable X): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes (WK), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir.
Key milestones on offer
Jasprit Bumrah is four wickets away from accomplishing 150 Test wickets. He will be the 17th Indian bowler to achieve this landmark. Ravichandran Ashwin (496) needs four to complete 500 scalps in Tests. Ben Stokes could become the third all-rounder with 200-plus wickets and 6,000-plus runs in Test cricket. Joe Root (11,447) can get to 11,500 runs in Test cricket.
Dream11 Fantasy cricket options
Fantasy XI (Option 1): Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes, Rohit Sharma, Ollie Pope, Zak Crawley, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Joe Root (VC), R Ashwin (C), Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Tom Hartley. Fantasy XI (Option 2): Jonny Bairstow, Shreyas Iyer, Rohit Sharma, Ollie Pope, Zak Crawley, Ben Stokes (VC), Joe Root, R Ashwin, Axar Patel (C), Jasprit Bumrah, Mark Wood.
