Preview: Can India bounce back in 2nd Test vs England?
What's the story
The second Test match of the five-match series (Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy) between India and England will be held at Edgbaston in Birmingham from July 2. India, led by Shubman Gill, will be looking to bounce back after losing the first Test by five wickets. They were let down by their lower-order batters and bowlers as England accomplished the 371-run target on Day 1. Here we look at the match preview.
Pitch conditions
Pitch report and streaming details
The Edgbaston pitch is known to offer good pace and bounce in the early stages of a Test match, especially under cloudy conditions. As the match progresses, it tends to flatten out, making batting easier. Later on, spinners can come into play as cracks and rough patches develop from Day 4 onwards. In India, fans can watch the match live on the Sony Sports network and stream the same on the JioHotstar app (Start time: 3:30pm IST).
Weather conditions
Birmingham weather likely to play a role
Birmingham's weather is expected to keep both teams on their toes. The first day could be cloudy with chances of rain and even thunderstorms. However, the next two days are likely to provide perfect cricketing conditions with sunshine and a light breeze. The fourth day could see morning showers with a 62% chance of rain, while the fifth day looks wet with intermittent rain under overcast skies.
Team changes
Bumrah's absence could hurt India
India are likely to go into the second Test without their star pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Owing to the workload management, the pacer had earlier stated that he will play only three out of five Tests in this series. His absence could leave a big hole in India's bowling attack, especially after a disappointing performance in the first Test. Notably, Bumrah claimed a fifer in that game.
Team strategy
England to go in with unchanged XI
In place of Bumrah, India could go with either Washington Sundar or Kuldeep Yadav on a drier Edgbaston surface. Nitish Kumar Reddy is also likely to replace Shardul Thakur in the playing XI. Despite Jofra Archer's inclusion in the squad for this Test, England have decided to stick with an unchanged XI.
XIs
Here are the probable XIs
England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Shoaib Bashir. India Probable XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah/Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj/Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.
DYK
India yet to win a Test match at Edgbaston
As per ESPNcricinfo, India have not won a Test match at Edgbaston. Between 1967 and 2022, India have played eight Tests at Edgbaston. They lost seven of those games, with a solitary Test ending in a draw (1986). India could have won the 2022 Edgbaston Test, which was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. They were in the driving seat, having given England a 378-run target. However, England recorded their highest successful run chase to cross the line.
H2H
A look at head-to-head record
Overall, India and England have faced each other in 137 Tests since their first encounter in 1932. Out of these, India have won 35 matches while England emerged victorious in 52. The remaining 50 matches have been drawn. On English soil, the two teams have played 67 matches, with India winning nine and losing on 37 occasions.
Stats
Here are the key performers
Rishabh Pant smacked a sensational 111-ball 146 on Day 1 and backed it up with an 86-ball 57 in the aforementioned 2022 Edgbaston Test. Ravindra Jadeja also slammed a hundred in that game. Joe Root is the highest run-scorer at this venue in Test cricket, amassing an impressive 920 runs in nine matches. Chris Woakes has taken 13 wickets across six innings here at a fine average of 24.53.
Poll
