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England take on India in the second Test match of the Pataudi Trophy on Thursday, 12th August, at the Lord's Cricket Ground in London. The rain-curtailed first Test was entertaining but ended in a draw, with Day 5 getting washed out.
India opted to play four pacers and a spin-bowling all-rounder in the first Test, with Ravichandran Ashwin sacrificed for Ravindra Jadeja. While Jadeja batted well in the first innings, Ashwin's brilliant form with the ball raises the question of whether he should be included in the side.
India made a forced change, with KL Rahul stepping in for the injured Mayank Agarwal. Rahul did a superb job and built a gritty 214-ball 84 in India's first innings, with his technique solid for the most part. That, and his positive 38-ball 26 in the second innings in testing conditions should secure him a starting berth for the second Test.
A spirited effort from India's seamers saw England getting bowled out for 183 in the first innings. Rahul's 84, and Jadeja's half-century, with handy contributions from Bumrah and Pant, helped India to a total of 278, giving them a healthy 95-run first innings lead.
Led by a stunning hundred from Joe Root, England hit back well, posting a total of 303 on the board. Root was, however, the only stable batter for England, scoring 64 in the first innings and 109 in the second. Jonny Bairstow and Sam Curran were the only others who contributed to England's batting.
Having been set a target of 209, India ended Day 4 at 52/1. With 157 runs required, the game was well-poised for an exciting final day that never happened.
Moeen Ali returns to the England squad for the second Test, and he should make it to the playing XI to give them an extra bowling option. Mayank Agarwal could also be fit to feature, although Rahul should keep him out of the team.
Both teams will be raring to go after the stop-start action at Trent Bridge. Cricket fans saw some quality action despite the rain, and they'll hope for more of the same as these two sides clash at the Home of Cricket in the second Test.
Match details
Date: August 12-16, 2021 (Thursday-Monday).
Time: 11:00 AM (Local/ BST), 03:30 PM (IST), and 10:00 AM (GMT).
Venue: Lord's Cricket Ground, London.
Weather Report
After rain forced the enthralling first Test into a draw, both the fans and the players will be hoping for a better forecast in the second Test. In line with that, we're likely to have uninterrupted cricketing action at Lord's, with minimal chances of rain occurring on all five days. The temperature should be around 22 degrees Celsius and should create an almost ideal condition for cricket at the Home of Cricket.
Pitch Report
The wicket at Lord's should be a pretty balanced one, though it's the easiest for the batters in the first innings. Seam bowlers should get plenty of assistance from the wicket, with good bounce and carry. The spinners should come into play on Days 4 and 5 once the pitch starts to dry up. The quicker bowlers could also profit from the slope at Lord's.
Predicted XIs
England
Haseeb Hameed and Moeen Ali could make their way back into the England side. The form of England's top three hasn't been good this year despite some promising individual performances from each of them.
While Rory Burns should retain his place by virtue of his recent success against New Zealand, Haseeb Hameed could replace Dom Sibley.
With Lord's likely to offer better assistance to spinners, Moeen Ali could be included instead of Daniel Lawrence.
England: Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed/ Dominic Sibley, Zak Crawley/ Ollie Pope, Joe Root (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Ollie Robinson, Sam Curran, Stuart Broad, and James Anderson.
India
Ravichandran Ashwin's exclusion before the start of the first Test raised a lot of eyebrows, and rightly so. With Virat Kohli stating that the combination used in the first Test could be the template, it'll be interesting to see if he makes it to the playing XI in more spin-friendly conditions at Lord's.
KL Rahul deserves a longer run in the team and with Mayank himself not a first-choice opener, Rahul should retain his place in the side. The rest of India's under-fire top order should also get another game to redeem themselves. Ishant Sharma could make a return to the team if he's fit.
India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin/ Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj/Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami.
Match prediction
While Joe Root's knock tilted the balance ever so slightly in England's favor in the second innings, India were in control for most of the first Test. The favorable weather conditions for the second Test should guarantee a result this time around. India should be the favorites to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Prediction: India to win.
TV and live streaming details
TV: Sony Six
Live Streaming: SonyLiv
