Visakhapatnam: India are set to play against England from February 2 at Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium with England having a 1-0 lead in the series.
The Rohit Sharma-led side has some batting issues to address before the game. In the first Test, the Indian batters fared pretty well in the first innings, but collapsed when the ball started to spin in the second innings. The Tom Hartley show blew away the Indian batting unit.
Rohit and Co. will expect Shreyas Iyer to step up in the second game and bring out his A game against spinners. The Men in Blue are plagued by injuries. Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul will miss the second game after sustaining injuries.
The injuries will open opportunities for young batters Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan who have been included in the roster. Patidar is likely to play while there is uncertainty about Khan, who is a wicket keeper as well. Khan's batting prowess was on full display in the domestic circuit and earned him a national call-up. It will be a tough call for the team management to take while they have KS Bharat who will be keeping wickets.
England's morale would be high thanks to their victory — from staring at an innings loss to building a massive lead to defeat a tough batting side — in the Hyderabad Test. When they had the daunting task of defying the odds against them in the second innings, Ollie Pope scripted a brilliant blitz which turned the tide in their favour. They will expect Joe Root to shine in the Vizag Test with the willow.
The most experienced spinner in the lineup, Jack Leach is unlikely to play in the second Test but skipper Ben Stokes will not have much to worry considering the kind of performance Tom Hartley dished out. Root is also playing a key role in the spin department with his off-spin and as expected.
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