India vs England 2018: India's ideal XI for the second Test against England

#2. Middle Order: Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane

Chesteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli

Cheteshwar Pujara, who was dropped from the first Test, should make a come back to the starting XI for the second Test. Chesteshwar Pujara has been an important weapon in India's armoury. His presence at no. 3, provides calmness to the dressing room and opting to play county cricket for Yorkshire and getting acclimatized to the conditions earlier can turn out to be advantageous for him and India in the second test match.

The Indian skipper, Virat Kohli is currently one of the best batsmen across all formats of the game. He carried his good form from South Africa, where he was the only batsman from either of the teams to score a hundred in the three-match test series. In the first test match against England, in batting, he was the lone warrior for the Indian team. He scored a total of 200 runs in the match which included brilliant innings of 149 runs. He will be without any doubt, be extremely critical to India"s fortunes in the second test match.

Ajinkya looked out of sorts in the first test match scoring just 17 runs in total. However, Rahane has been one of the most consistent Indian players in test matches outside India. He would be having the fond memories of England as he scored a brilliant century at Lord's in his previous visit. His ability to attack and defend by playing normal cricketing shots makes him stand out from the rest of his counterparts especially in foreign conditions. His positive experience from the previous visit could come in handy for India.