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

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.