On Saturday (13th February) morning, the hosts India and the visitors England will face each other at MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk, Chennai) for the second game of this four-match Test series.
Currently, England are leading this Test series by 1-0 after winning the opening game of this Test series at Chennai by 227 runs. So, the Test series is going to be very interesting while the upcoming second Test is going to very crucial for both these teams.
India vs England 2021, 2nd Test: Match Preview
India
The hosts India suffered a huge defeat in the first Test of this series which was also their first home Test defeat since February 2017. While the Indian team is fighting for the spot for the final of inaugural ICC World Test Championship, they can’t suffer another defeat while they have to win at least two Tests in this series.
The Indian team is still strong enough to make a comeback in this Test series. Opener Rohit Sharma and Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane need to find their form back as soon as possible. Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, captain Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant are in good touch, and the cricket fans are expecting some more good innings from them in this upcoming Test match.
Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin have also played some important roles in recent time as the lower-order batsmen. KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Hardik Pandya and Wriddhiman Saha may have to wait further for their Test return, but the spin-bowling all-rounder Axar Patel is likely to make his Test debut in this Chennai Test.
Many experts questioned of non-inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav in the Test playing XI after India’s last Test defeat at Chennai. However, the youngster may also have to wait longer for his Test return. Pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma both bowled well in the last Test match.
Full Squad
Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vc), KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur
Recent Test forms (Oldest to latest): Lost, Won, Draw, Won and Lost
England
The visitors England are currently in great form they have won all the three Tests in their ongoing Asian tour. While they are leading this away Test series by the 1-0 margin, they still have to win two more Tests in this series to secure their spot for the final of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship.
Captain Joe Root played the huge role in the last Test as his 218 and 40 runs set up England’s path for the large victory in that Test match. Most of the other players provided strong support to him, especially Dominic Sibley and Ben Stokes in the first innings as well as Dom Bess, Jack Leach and James Anderson during the visitors batting.
However, the visitors are ready to alter in some crucial places along with forceful replacement for the injured Jofra Archer as Chris Woakes is likely to replace him. Also, Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad and Ben Foakes are ready to replace, Dom Bess, James Anderson and Jos Buttler respectively.
Full Squad
Joe Root (C), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Ben Foakes (wk), Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
Recent Test forms (Oldest to latest): Won, Won and Won
India vs England 2021, 2nd Test: Match Prediction
The visitors England are really confident as they are leading this four-match Test series by 1-0 with three to go. However, the hosts India are strong team and they also know how to make a comeback.
Though the toss is going to play a very crucial role for this second Test, the hosts can dominate the upcoming Test match if majority of their players show their form.
This article is auto-generated by Algorithm Source: cricketaddictor.com
