India v England, 2nd Test - India Predicted XI

Team India had a tough time in the first Test against visiting England side. Coming into the series, India were expected to dominate and steamroll the opposition. However, things turned out to be the other way round. On the last day of the play, India had a brief scare as they lost 6 wickets in their run chase. Had it not been skipper Virat Kohli’s calm head, India could have faced an embarrassing defeat. Another startling stat from the first Test was the English spinners scalping more wickets than the Indian spinners. Ravichandran Ashwin had a lot of hopes relying on him being the number one bowler. Ashwin could bag just 3 wickets across both innings in Rajkot. The batting had some positives for the Indian team. Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay scored tons to get in a good touch. Kohli spent his time at the crease too. Ashwin hit a quality 70 in the first innings. Opener Gautam Gambhir and middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane were the major disappointments. Coming into the second Test at Vizag, India might make field 3 spinners again. With the track promising to be a turner, Amit Mishra might play again despite expensive show at Rajkot. The permutations and combinations are underway to pick the India line-up for the second Test. This is the XI we expect the Indian team to field for the second Test: Murali Vijay Murali Vijay. (Photo Source: BCCI) Murali Vijay had a good match and an impressive start to the series. He put on 209 with Cheteshwar Pujara in the first innings to lead India’s fightback in response to England’s mammoth 537 on the board. Murali Vijay went on to score a well-earned ton – 126 off 301 balls. In the second innings too, he looked set at the crease. By getting back in form, Vijay has surely booked his spot as one opener for the team. He will definitely make it to the playing XI and India will have a lot of hopes banking on him. KL Rahul KL Rahul. (Photo Source: AFP) Opener Gautam Gambhir might feel the heat in the second Test. There is a good probability that KL Rahul might make his comeback to the national side at Vizag. Gambhir failed to impress in both the innings at Rajkot. At the same time, KL Rahul, who is returning from an injury, had an impressive Ranji game recently. Playing at Vizianagaram against Rajasthan, KL Rahul scored 76 and 106 in two innings for his Ranji team Karnataka. The kind of form he is in, Rahul is most likely to make it to the playing eleven ahead of Gautam Gambhir. Cheteshwar Pujara Cheteshwar Pujara. (Photo Source: BCCI) Cheteshwar Pujara struck a magnificent ton in the first innings of the Rajkot Test. The key feature of his innings was his intent. Unlike his conventional manner of play, he did not only block the balls but played his shots freely. He outplayed his partner Murali Vijay in having a higher strike rate. Pujara hit 124 off 206 balls with 17 boundaries. Having a ton under his belt early in the series will do a world of good to his confidence. Pujara will continue to be the mainstay of the middle-order in the Vizag Test. He is a sure member in the playing eleven. Virat Kohli Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: BCCI) The captaincy duties lie in the hands of Virat Kohli. Kohli will be hoping to turn the tables in the second game at Vizag. After being dominated by the visitors for a majority of the tournament opener, Kohli will have his eyes set on bringing back the attacking gameplay. Kohli’s grit and determination came to the fore in the second innings. India stared right at defeat with wickets falling from one end. It was Kohli who held the fort until the very end to ensure India escaped the defeat and settled for a draw. Kohli scored an unbeaten 49 to save India from a massive embarrassment. Ajinkya Rahane Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane. (Photo by PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images) Despite having underperformed in the first Test, Rahane will retain his place in the side. Ajinkya Rahane has been one of the most successful players for India in the recent past. In the previous series against New Zealand, he was in a sublime touch and had scored 188 in the final Test. Amidst such situation, Rahane will be keen to prove that the failure at Rajkot was a rare one. With a turning track expected to be rolled out, Rahane will be a key player in the lineup. He is one of the better players of spin in the Indian team. Wriddhiman Saha Wriddhiman Saha of India. (Photo by RANDY BROOKS/AFP/Getty Images) Wriddhiman Saha will don the gloves for the second Test. He remains to be the first choice wicket-keeper for the Indian Test team. Saha got a good start in the first innings at Rajkot but could not do much in the second innings. He looked slightly out of touch behind the stumps too. The Bengal wicket-keeper will be hoping to come up with a better performance in the 2nd Test. He has consistently got starts with the bat but is yet to come up with a big score. Ravichandran Ashwin Ravichandran Ashwin. (Photo Source: BCCI) Ravichandran Ashwin had his opportunity at Rajkot to show why he is the top-ranked bowler in Tests. He largely failed in his attempt to do so. He could scalp just 3 wickets across both innings. Ashwin started off well as he dismissed Ben Duckett and Haseeb Hameed in the first innings. But those two remained to be his only scalps in the innings conceding 167 runs. His batting was brilliant though. Carving a clinical 70 while batting with the tail was a great effort. With a turner coming up next, all eyes will be on Ashwin. Ravindra Jadeja Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo Source: BCCI) Ravindra Jadeja bagged 3/86 in the first innings to be the pick of the bowlers for India. But later in the game when the opportunity to bat arrived, he failed. In the second innings, he remained unbeaten with a good cameo that helped India save the game. Having had spent time with both bat and ball at the crease, Jadeja is sure to get another go. He is the preferred all-rounder in the side. It is very unlikely that somebody like Hardik Pandya or Jayant Yadav will be drafted in. Amit Mishra Indian cricketer Amit Mishra. (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) Despite bowling wayward lengths in the first Test, Amit Mishra might still feature in the playing eleven. He has more chances of being picked ahead of pace bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Knowing skipper Kohli’s ‘horses for courses’ approach, Mishra is likely to take the field. Mishra scalped 2/60 in the second innings but his economy was on the higher side. India will also be hoping for Mishra to click with the bat if thr need comes. He largely failed as the night watchman in the first innings at Rajkot. Umesh Yadav (Photo Source: BCCI) Umesh Yadav was the unluckiest bowler in the Rajkot Test match. India let go a lot of catches off his bowling in the first innings. Yadav created a lot of half chances for India to crawl back into the match. Sadly though, he could bag only 2 wickets in the first innings and none in the second. Umesh caught and bowled Joe Root after the latter scored a brilliant ton. A controversial take it was but a wicket nonetheless. He then dismissed the other centurion Ben Stokes too later in the innings. His effort in the first Test could see him play yet again ahead of Ishant Sharma. Unless Kohli decides to add strength in batting, Yadav will play ahead of all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Mohammed Shami Team India. (Photo Source: BCCI) Pacer Mohammed Shami was the better among the two Indian pacers in the first match. He started off well bowling tight lines in the first innings. He managed to get the outside edges but Indian players refused to grab them. Shami bowled tight lines as compared to Umesh Yadav. He bagged 2/65 in the first innings and later went wicketless in the second. Nonetheless, it is his reverse swing credentials that will earn him a place in the playing eleven.

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India v England, 2nd Test - India Predicted XI

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