All you need to know about the 2nd India-England Test in Vizag

Vizag will follow in Rajkot’s footsteps as Test cricket enters into unchartered territory in India. With the opening match of the 5-match series involving the hosts and England ending in a stalemate, extra emphasis could be placed on the second one.

The opportunity to take an early lead in the series should keep both teams ready and raring to go. Let us take a close look at all crucial aspects pertaining to the engrossing contest which begins at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

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#5 – Can England’s spinners match up to their counterparts?

Rashid had created a few jitters in the Indian camp in Rajkot (Image Courtesy: BCCI)

Undoubtedly, the biggest factor influencing the trajectory of this series will be the capacity of England’s spinners. Unlike their counterparts in Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra, they are not yet accustomed to the responsibility demanded by subcontinental conditions.

However, the visitors do have enough variety in their bowling attack to challenge the Indian batsmen. In Adil Rashid, they possess an exciting leg-spinner who has the potential to pick up wickets in a cluster. Even though the first Test saw them out bowl the home side's spinners, a turning track will not only provide assistance but also increase the pressure to deliver substantially as well.

#4 – Vizag pitch likely to offer prodigious turn

The Rajkot surface did not deteriorate enough to produce a result (Image Courtesy: BCCI)

With two of their own hometown players featuring prominently in the Indian team, all eyes were on the 22 yards at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium. However, a benign pitch was rolled out which eventually dampened the euphoria regarding the venue’s Test debut.

Vizag is unlikely to offer a similar amount of graciousness to the visitors. The BCCI curator has hinted at the grass cover being almost negligible and the surface assisting spin from as early as day two. Mishra made merry during the venue’s previous international fixture, an ODI against New Zealand last month. Even though the batsmen may not find the conditions to be as taxing, they will have to work a lot harder for their runs than in Rajkot.

#3 – Returning KL Rahul set to bolster India's top-order

Rahul had suffered a hamstring injury during the first Test against New Zealand (Image Courtesy: BCCI)

The manner in which Gautam Gambhir was dismissed in both innings may just have forced the selectors to send an SOS to KL Rahul. The elegant right-hander, who had missed out on the last two Tests against New Zealand as well as in the first Test against England due to a hamstring injury, was added to the squad after he proved his fitness in a Ranji Trophy game at the close by city of Vizianagaram.

If the Vizag surface does indeed sport a dry outlook, then India may consider bringing Hardik Pandya in place of Umesh Yadav in order to increase the batting depth. On the other hand, the visitors are likely to go in with an unchanged eleven though James Anderson might want his place back.

Probable Playing Eleven

India

Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Hardik Pandya/Umesh Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra and Mohammed Shami

England

Alastair Cook (c), Haseeb Hameed, Joe Root, Ben Duckett, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Johnny Bairstow (wk), Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Zafar Ansari and Stuart Broad/James Anderson

#2 – Virat Kohli and Joe Root's special connection

Kohli will be eager to turn his 50^th Test into a memorable one (Image Courtesy: BCCI)

Here are some of the most important statistics surrounding the second Test.

Kohli will become the 28^th Indian cricketer to reach the milestone of 50 Test matches.

Meanwhile, Root will become the 66^th England cricketer to reach the landmark of 50 Test matches.

Currently at 1017 runs, Cook needs only 26 more runs to become the second highest run scorer on Indian soil. Former West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd leads the illustrious list with 1359 runs.

Pujara requires 3 more runs to become the 20^th Indian batsman to complete 3000 Test runs while Vijay is not too far behind at 2980 runs.

#1 – Captain Cook key to visitors’ fortunes

Cook seems to have concocted a secret recipe to bat on Indian soil (Image Courtesy: BCCI)

While England do possess an enviable level of batting depth, their mainstay is at the top of the order. Cook has found batting in India much more easier than any other visiting batsman in recent memory and will continue to feature prominently among the hosts’ plans.

On the other side, Rahane holds the key between India’s sturdy top-order and dogged lower-order. Usually a slow starter series-wise, the soft-spoken Mumbaikar has the ability to overcome tight passages of play which often determine the length of an innings.