India vs England: 3 crucial factors which might determine the fate of the second test

#3 India’s much-vaunted batting line-up coping against a versatile English attack:

James Anderson

The mighty Indian batting capitulated meekly against the English attack in the first test, and the home team would definitely want to change things in the second test. Had it not been for the rearguard action from Sundar and Rishabh Pant in the first innings, the defeat could have been much worse. The Indian batsmen struggled against the swing of Anderson and the pace of Archer. They also could not cope with guile of the relatively inexperienced spin duo of Dom Bess and Jack Leach.

Leach, who bowls with a side-on action and generates a good loop, also managed to turn the ball a lot, and removed Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara with two beauties in the second innings. He would be difficult to negotiate with on a wearing pitch. Bess bowled with more control, and was more economical. Moreover, Anderson’s reverse- swing was too good for the Indians in the second innings.

In order to turn things around, Pujara and Kohli would again have to be in the thick of things. They managed to score 70-odd runs in the first and second innings of the first test, respectively. Shubman Gill would have to curb his attacking instincts to try to convert his half-centuries into centuries and Rohit Sharma would have to strengthen his defensive technique, especially against the deliveries leaving him. It would not be an easy task and the ensuing battle should be an absorbing one.