The first Test between England and India which was played at Trent Bridge, Nottingham resulted in a draw after a highly anticipated fifth day was totally washed out due to heavy and continuous rains.
India required 157 runs to win the Test with 9 wickets in hand on the last day and it made for an exciting day of Test cricket which ended in a wet whimper. Now the focus shifts to the second Test match which will begin from August 12 onwards at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.
India had a brilliant outing in Trent Bridge and had made some courageous calls when it came to team combination and things worked out great for them, both with the ball and the bat.
Keeping this in consideration, Team COC presents the Predicted Team India Playing XI second Test at Lord’s
KL Rahul did a marvelous job at the top with Rohit Sharma in the first innings adding 97 runs. The duo was effective against the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad and India will most likely continue with them at the top.
The issue for the Indian team is in the middle order with Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, and Ajinkya Rahane struggling for runs. Kohli got a very good ball in the 1st innings, but Pujara and Rahane have been off-color for quite some time now.
Though it might be farfetched to expect them to be dropped for the second Test, Indian team management might have to prepare backup for them, if they fail to contribute at Lord’s.
Rishabh Pant got out trying to play his brand of cricket with the bat, but his wicketkeeping behind the stumps was top notch and he has shown he has mature with both kinds of gloves.
ENG v IND 2021: Rishabh Pant's keeping was better than that of Jos Buttler- Saba Karim
Ravindra Jadeja didn’t bowl much, but added valuable runs with the bat, and hence his selection before R Ashwin was justified and he might be able to continue in the XI as such. Shardul Thakur’s swing helped India a lot as he picked a key wicket of Joe Root in the first innings and his batting may come in handy down the order.
Jasprit Bumrah was the star with the ball, picking 9 wickets and roared back into form. Mohammed Siraj bowled with fire and showed his emotions as well, while Mohammad Shami picked some major wickets in the first innings and all the four pacers are expected to do well in Lord’s also.
The match will be an exciting one as India will look to take the lead in the series at the Mecca of cricket.
COC Predicted India Playing XI for the second Test against England:
Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj
