India Vs England, 2nd Test: Three Key Battles To Watch Out For

After a doomed chase in Hyderabad, India will try to bounce back in the second Test match of the five-game series beginning on Friday, February 2 in Visakhapatnam. Rohit Sharma-led Indian team is expected to make some changes in their playing XI following recent injuries to crucial players. (Streaming | More Cricket News)

KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja have already been removed from the selection for the second Test match after sustaining injuries in the Hyderabad Test. Sarfaraz Khan, Saurabh Kumar and Washington Sundar have been roped in as their replacements. Earlier, Virat Kohli also opted out from the first two Tests citing personal reasons.

Rajat Patidar was included in the squad as Kohli's replacement and he is expected to make his debut in Vizag. India might go with Kuldeep Yadav or Washington Sundar as a third spinner if there would be any assistance for spin bowling from the pitch. Left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar also has plenty of experience in bowling in home conditions.

England's captain Ben Stokes had hinted at the inclusion of young spinner Shoaib Bashir in the final XI after Jack Leach sustained a knee injury in his left leg. Ollie Pope and Tom Hartley were the crucial players who helped England in the 28-run victory in the Hyderabad Test. Hartley took seven wickets in the second innings.

Squads:

England Squad: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes(c), Ben Foakes(w), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, James Anderson, Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson, Daniel Lawrence, Gus Atkinson

India Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Srikar Bharat(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Rajat Patidar, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Sarfaraz Khan, Avesh Khan, Saurabh Kumar, Mukesh Kumar, Dhruv Jurel

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With injuries plaguing both the camps, the second Test in Visakhapatnam might present us with a wonderful battle between the bat and ball. There are some key battles among the players of both teams that are worth watching out for:-

1. Ollie Pope vs Jasprit Bumrah

Ollie Pope was the Player of the Match in the last Test for his brilliant second-inning knock of 196 runs. He showed resilience and grit in the first Test at Hyderabad. He played spin equally well as pace. His incredible knock came against the top bowlers of spin. Jasprit Bumrah was the only bowler who created problems for him and eventually ended his long inning. Bumrah and Pope were involved in an incident on the pitch for which Bumrah was officially reprimanded and was given one demerit point after the match. The battle between the two would be entertaining.

2. Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Tom Hartley

Yashasvi Jaiswal went berserk against Tom Hartley in the first innings and smashed him for two sixes in his first over of his international career. However, Hartley was the man who removed him in the second innings and eventually took seven wickets in that inning to help England win the match by 28 runs. Jaiswal plays spin well and is very confident against left-arm spinners. Hartley, even after leaking runs, managed to get the crucial wickets and Vizag's wicket might assist him.

3. Joe Root vs Axar Patel

Joe Root contributed much with his bowling than his batting in the first Test match but the veteran England batter has a great record in India and a master batter against spin bowling. Axar Patel, who got only three wickets in the first Test match, will try to create problems for Root in Vizag. Patel's flighter and flicker balls are lethal deliveries that might provide him with an advantage over the second-highest run-getter from England.