India vs England, 2021: 2nd Test - Statistical Preview

India and England will lock horns in the second Test of the 4-match Test series from 13th February which will be played at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. England had defeated the hosts in the first Test by 227 runs, and are 1-0 up in the series. India will be looking to make a strong comeback after being decimated by the English team in the series opener. 

England will look to continue their superb performance in the second match as well. English captain Joe Root has been leading the team from the front as he hit a brilliant double century in the first Test.

Let’s look at important stats and numbers before the start of the second Test between India and England:

Test Championship records and scenarios

Test Championship Scenarios: India will be out of contention for the World Test Championship (WTC) if they lose the second Test. They need to win the series by a margin of 2-1 or 3-1 to confirm their spot in the final of the Test Championship.

126 – England Captain Joe Root has so far scored 1550 runs in the WTC at an average of 53.44. He needs 126 more runs to surpass Marnus Labuschagne in terms of most runs in the Test championship and earn the top spot in the list.

16 – India’s vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has scored 984 runs in the WTC till now. He needs 16 more runs to become the first Indian player to complete 1000 runs in the ongoing WTC cycle.

Upcoming milestones for Joe Root

3 – Joe Root has scored a century in each of his last 3 Test matches. These include scores of 228 and 186 against Sri Lanka, and a double century against India in the first Test. If he is successful in scoring a century in the second Test of the series, he will become second player from England after Ken Barrington to score a ton in 4 consecutive Test matches. 

26 – Joe Root has won 26 matches for England as a captain, and is currently at joint top position along with Michael Vaughan in terms of winning most Test matches. Root will surpass Vaughan if England defeats India in the second Test.

Long wait for Virat Kohli

29 – Virat Kohli has played his last 29 international matches without a century. This is the longest gap for Kohli in scoring a century in International cricket. He last scored a ton against Bangladesh in a Test match in November, 2019.     

Other Records

517 – Stuart Broad has so far taken 517 wickets in Test cricket. If gets an opportunity to play in the second Test, he will have a chance to become third highest wicket taker in the format among pacers. If he takes 3 more wickets, he will overtake Courtney Walsh in the list who has 519 Test wickets.

5 – Ravichandran Ashwin has taken 386 wickets in Test cricket. He will surpass Makhaya Ntini if he takes 5 more wickets in the second Test against England.

140 – Indian captain Virat Kohli needs 140 more runs to overtake Steve Smith, and become second highest run-getter in Test cricket amongst the current cricketers. Virat has scored 7401 runs while Smith has 7540 runs in his Test career. England captain Joe Root is at the top spot with 8507 runs.