England vs India 2nd Test: Everything you need to know
England and India are gearing up for the second Test to be played at Lord's from Thursday onwards. The hosts lead the 5-match series 1-0 and will want to gain authority against the number one side in the world. India, on the other hand, are facing several issues especially poor batting performance. Here is everything you need to know about the second Test.
Team news and selection
England all-rounder Ben Stokes will be unavailable for Lord's Test owing to the scheduled court hearing. This will see Chris Woakes come into the side. With Dawid Malan being dropped for the match, 20-year-old debutant Ollie Pope is likely to start in the middle-order. In case of India, a change could be expected with Cheteshwar Pujara likely to feature in this match.
Probable starting XI for both teams
Probable starting XI for England: Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Joe Root (captain), Jonny Bairstow (wicket-keeper), Jos Buttler, Ollie Pope, Chris Woakes, Rashid Ali, Sam Curran, Stuart Broad and James Anderson. Probable starting XI for India: Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (captain), Cheteshwar Pujara, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav.
Bowling is India's strength
India will be relying on skipper Virat Kohli, once again, to score bulk of runs. Having said that, the others will need to join the party and give a solid account of themselves and not repeat the mistakes. The bowlers did an able job by picking 20 wickets at Edgbaston. The pace battery led by Ishant would be Kohli's strength.
England go in as favorites
The hosts won't have the powerful Stokes, but in Woakes they have the perfect replacement to hurt India. England snatched the first Test after some great individual moments with bat and ball. There will be an added sense of belief going into this match. English fans will look up to young gun Sam Curran to replicate his all-round performance.
Players to watch out for in the 2nd Test
Virat Kohli is India's main asset and he got 200 runs at Edgbaston. The player will look to lay the foundation. Ishant Sharma was terrific in the first Test and prior experience at Lord's will benefit him. Joe Root is England's go to man in batting and a big innings is expected out of him. Curran with his all-round skills is crucial.
Pitch condition, timing and TV listing
The pitch is reported to have a layer of grass which, in turn, will assist pace bowlers. Swing is expected and that will worry batsmen. The match will start at 3:30 PM IST and one can watch it on the Sony Ten network.
