In the second Test of the five-match bilateral series, India will take on England at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam tomorrow, February 3, at 9:30 AM IST.
After falling short against England by 28 runs in Hyderabad, India faced a lot of criticism. While England deserves credit for their outstanding performance, the Rohit Sharma-led side must understand that they are completely accountable for the loss. Nonetheless, even the second match will now be played with a few new combinations, following the injury news of KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja. Most likely, Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan might get a nod but it will be intriguing to watch if India plays two debutants. Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer will also aim to improve their form. With the ball, the Men in Blue will surely miss Jadeja the bowler, thus, Washington Sundar will also likely be included. Left-armer Axar Patel will also certainly get overused. Major tasks will also be assigned to Mohammed Siraj, Ravichandran Ashwin, and other individuals.
For England, things look highly positive from here on and with Shoaib Bashir also available, England will surely go with four proper spinners. Spinner Bashir enters the equation with ease as left-arm spinner Tom Hartley claimed nine wickets in his Hyderabad debut while lone pacer Mark Wood struggled for 25 wicketless overs. The side would also want the likes of Joe Root, Zak Crawley, Jonny Bairstow, and more to perform well. The team was heavily dependent on Ollie Pope to clinch the first game and would thus want a vital helping hand from others in the second one.Â
Head-to-Head:
India and England have competed in 132 Tests against one other, with India winning 31 and England winning 51. Furthermore, 50 matches also resulted in a draw.
Where to watch:
TV: Sports18
OTT: JioCinema