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

#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