ENGLAND VS. INDIA: IND’S TOUR OF ENG 2021, 2nd TEST | MATCH PREDICTION AND FANTASY CRICKET TIPS
Hosts England take on India in the second Test of the 5-match series at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, starting from Thursday.
The first Test match ended in a draw due to rain on the final day but any result was possible on the fifth day. Although India had an upper hand for most of the game, the game could have turned around in a matter of overs. Both sides will look to take the positives out of that game and try to replicate them here.
Given England’s batting troubles, Haseeb Hameed might replace Zak Crawley for this match. Joe Root remains the key batter for England in the middle order, with Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler to come after him. Ollie Robinson starred with the ball in the first Test and will be accompanied by Mark Wood and Saqib Mahmood, who are set to replace the injured pair of Anderson and Broad.
India’s batting did a decent job in the first Test, as openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul gave a solid start and the lower order showed an improved performance with the bat. The middle-order trio of Pujara, captain Kolhi and Rahane will be under pressure to score runs. Ashwin is expected to replace the injured Shardul Thakur in the playing XI in this match.
India head into the game as slight favorites, but both teams know much work needs to be done if they want to draw first blood in the series at the historic Home of Cricket.
Match Details
- Match: England vs. India, 2nd Test
- Venue: Lord's, London
- Date & Time: Aug. 12, 2021, at 3:30 PM IST/11 AM Local
Probable Playing XI
England
Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Haseeb Hameed, Joe Root (C), Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (WK), Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, James Anderson
India
Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Chesteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Weather Report
London is expected to have fairly overcast conditions on all days of the match, with less rain interruptions through the match. The temperature will be around 21 degrees during the game.
Pitch Report
The pitch at Lord’s has been a good Test wicket in recent years, with just 3 draws in the last 10 Tests played here. The surface will allow for good stroke play, with the seam movement keeping the batsmen on their toes. The dry surface will bring in the spinners from both sides as the match progresses. The average first-innings score at this venue has been 312 runs.
Toss
With sunny conditions expected on the first three days, the captain winning the toss will look to bat first. Batting last on the surface can be a tough task here. Any total above 300 runs in the first innings will be a good total on this track.
Top Fantasy Picks
England
- Joe Root maintained his good record against India by scoring 1 half century and 1 century in the first Test of the series. He has now scored 6 centuries against India and is just 113 runs short of the milestone of 9000 runs in Test cricket. Expect him to continue his good form here.
- Moeen Ali has been recalled and is expected to be in the playing XI. He is in terrific form with the bat and will be dangerous on a surface slowing down and turning from day 4 onward. He has scored 168 runs and taken 20 wickets in his last three Tests against India.
- Ollie Robinson utilized the conditions perfectly and picked up his first 5-wicket haul in the first Test. Given the absence of Broad and a good surface at Lord’s, he will definitely be a threat. Moreover, he is handy with the bat lower down the order.
India
- Rohit Sharma throwing away good starts has been a recurring theme in the recent months. Since the start of the Australia tour last year, he has scored 586 in 15 innings, with just 1 century and 2 half centuries. He has provided solid starts to the innings but could not make them count.
- Rishabh Pant is slowly becoming a key player in the line-up for India in Tests. He was good behind the stumps, taking 7 catches and scored a quick-fire 25 runs with the bat. With better batting conditions expected here, he will look to make a big score.
- Jasprit Bumrah ended his lean run of form with the ball brilliantly in the first Test. He picked up 9 wickets in the Test and looked threatening in every spell. He has the most wickets for India after 21 Tests, with 88 of them coming in away games.
Howzat Dream Team
- Wicketkeepers: R Pant, J Bairstow
- Batter: J Root, R Sharma, V Kohli
- All-rounders: R Ashwin, M Ali
- Bowlers: O Robinson, M Wood, J Bumrah, M Siraj
- Captain: J Root/M Ali
- Vice Captain: R Sharma/R Ashwin
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can make your fantasy 11 and play fantasy cricket matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.
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