England vs India 2021, 2nd Test: Preview – Pitch report, Probable XI and Head to Head record

The iconic Lords Cricket Ground in London is set to host England and India for the second Test of the ongoing five-match series starting from Thursday (August 12).

The series opener was ended in a draw after rain washed out the entire fifth and final day. Both teams would be focusing on registering a win in the upcoming fixture to take a lead. India haven’t won a series in England since 2007 and would be looking to change the fortunes this time around.

On the other hand, the hosts would be aiming to continue their dominance on home soil. England have won three back-to-back series at home in 2011, 2014,and 2018.

Pitch report:

The surface at Lords would offer plenty of assistance to fast bowlers with good bounce and carry. However, the spinners are expected to come into play later in the match as the pitch will start to dry as the game progresses.

Head to Head record (in England):

Matches played: 63 | England won: 34 | India won: 7 | Draw: 22 | Tied: 0

Playing Combination:

England

After injuring his calf in training on Tuesday, pacer Stuart Broad is likely to remain unavailable for the second Test. Speedster Mark Wood is set to replace Broad. Similarly, Moeen Ali was recently added to the squad, and it is expected that he will get a game.

ENG XI: Joe Root (c), Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, James Anderson.

India

Indian paceman Shardul Thakur had a decent outing in the first Test, but he is set to miss out on the second match due to a hamstring niggle. It means that Ravichandran Ashwin might feature in the final XI. However, after the end of the first Test, Kohli mentioned that he will follow the template of 4 pacers and 1 spinner. So, Ishant Sharma (if he is fit) or Umesh Yadav also can be taken into consideration.

IND XI: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Ravichandran Ashwin/Ishant Sharma/Umesh Yadav.

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