England vs India, 2018: England's predicted XI for 2nd Test

We had a excellent start to the series with an encounter that was filled with joy, anxiety, restlessness, and many more emotions that can't be described. The first Test between England and India played at Edgbaston in Birmingham turned out to be one of the closest fought encounters with the hosts descending visitors by a mere margin of 31 runs.

Now, we head to the iconic Lord's Ground in London for the second battle in the straw. The Lord's Test (9 - 13 August) is expected to be a hell of an encounter.

ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) has announced a strong 13-member squad for the second Test against India. Thus, let us have a look at the predicted playing XI for England for the second Test against India.

England 2nd Test Squad: Joe Root (C), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow (WK), Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, Adil Rashid, Sam Curran, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, and James Porter.

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Openers: Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings

Alastair Cook, the former England captain, had an unfortunate start to the series as he barely managed to play Ashwin. Cook ended up getting bowled twice in the similar fashion off Ashwin's off-spin that escaped Cook outside edge and hit the top of the stumps on both the occasions. However, England is likely to persist with Cook after having announced no reserve opener in the second Test squad.

The left-handed prodigy, Keaton Jennings, will be accompanying Cook in the opening slot for the second Test against India. Jennings had a more or less decent first Test as he scored 42 and 8 in the 1st and 2nd innings respectively. Although he looked good in the 2nd innings, he failed to capitalize and fell prey to a flighted delivery by Ashwin that edged his bat through to KL Rahul at 2nd slip.

Thus, the Englishmen are unlikely to change the opening tempo and will be proceeding with Cook and Jennings as their openers in the second Test against India.

Middle-Order: Joe Root (C), Ollie Pope, and Jos Buttler

The England captain and Virat Kohli's counterpart, Joe Root, will don the number 3 spot in the second Test against India. Off late, Root has been in top-notch form and is expected to be an imposing threat to India's hopes at Lord's for the second Test. Thus, no questions asked, Root will England's key player in the second Test if England want to be 2-0 up in the series.

The right-handed wicket-keeper batsman from Surrey, Ollie Pope, replaced the out of form Dawid Malan in the second Test squad. Pope, who specializes in fierce cuts and short-arm pulls, might turn out to be the player that England needs in the middle-order. Thus, Pope is most likely to make his Test debut in the Lord's Test against India.

Jos Buttler failed to make an impact in the first Test against India at Edgbaston. However, England is most likely to go forward with Buttler to lengthen and strengthen their batting line-up. Thus, in most likeliness, England will be using Buttler as an aggressor in the middle-order whose sole job will be to disrupt the opposition's mental space.

Wicket-keeper: Jonny Bairstow

England v India: Specsavers 1st Test - Day Three

Jonny Bairstow, the English wicket-keeper, will be acquiring the number 6 spot in Lord's Test. Bairstow has been England's first choice wicket-keeper in Tests for a long time now. Thus, minimal of doubts, Bairstow will be retaining his place in the playing XI for the second Test against India at Lord's.

Bairstow had a decent outing in the first Test where he scored 70 and 28 in the 1st and 2nd innings respectively. Hence, with umpteen abilities up his sleeve, Bairstow will prove to be crucial in England's middle-order schemes.

All-rounders: Sam Curran and Chris Woakes

Sam Curran, the Man of the Match in the previous Test against India, arrived at the international stage with an all-round performance in the first Test. His knock of 63 in the second innings of the first Test proved to be crucial for England. Besides his handy knock in both the innings, Curran also shone in the bowling department with 4-for in the first innings. Thus, cometh the Lord's Test, Sam would only add to the strength of the side with all-round abilities up his sleeve.

England will be missing their premier all-rounder, Ben Stokes, in the Lord's Test. Owing to Stokes' trial on a criminal charge of affray that starts in Bristol on Monday, England has drafted Chris Woakes in the squad for the second Test. Chris Woakes can turn out be a resolute batsman at number 8, which just about sets him in the list of all-rounders. However, his main role will be in assisting the three fast bowlers.

Spinner: Adil Rashid

After having squabbled the red-ball cricket a small time back, Adil Rashid has made his way back to the Test once again with a good performance in the first Test against India. With plenty of variations in his bowling bank, Rashid has often been a threat for the opposition irrespective of the format.

Rashid had a modest first Test against India. Although he wasn't asked to bowl a much of overs in the first Test, he managed to bag three wickets from the 11 overs that he bowled in the match. Thus, Rashid is expected to retain his place in the playing XI for the second Test against India.

Fast Bowlers: Stuart Broad and James Anderson

Safe to say, England will be retaining their fast bowling specialists, Stuart Broad and James Anderson, for the second Test against India. Anderson and Broad had a decent outing in the first Test with the former grabbing four wickets while the latter grabbing two wickets in the match.

Thus, James Anderson will be England's key bowler in the second Test at Lord's if ever they want to go 2-0 up in the series. Meanwhile, Stuart Broad's support-hand will be of no subordinate value than Anderson either.