India vs England Match Prediction: Who will win the 2nd Test match?

If the first Test was anything to go by, we're in for a truckload of entertainment as the India vs England series continues to unfold. The second Test will commence on Friday, February 2, in Visakhapatnam, and it promises to be a gripping affair.

Ollie Pope and the England batting lineup swept and reverse-swept India into submission in the first Test, forcing the hosts into a rethink. Without KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, two of their most experienced players and key cogs in the lineup, India have more questions than answers heading into the Vizag Test.

England, meanwhile, are in a much more confident space. They have received the first bit of validation of their approach on Indian soil and seem set to ruffle a few more feathers going forward. Shoaib Bashir will make his debut in the second Test, with the visitors all set to field a four-pronged spin attack once again.

Ben Stokes and company are clear about relieving themselves from the burden of expectations, but that won't be easy after the kind of performance they dished out in Hyderabad. They are expected to put up a fight, and while they seem primed to continue in the same vein, it won't be easy against a dominant Indian side.

In their last Test at Vizag, India crushed South Africa by 203 runs, with Rohit Sharma hammering twin centuries. Can they produce an encore? Or will England continue their admirable red-ball run?

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England's spin attack now wears an even more inexperienced look than it did in Hyderabad. Jack Leach has been ruled out of the second Test, with Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed, and Bashir having a combined experience of three Tests.

Hartley did run through the Indian batting lineup in the second innings, but he doesn't have a ton of first-class matches under his belt. And if the home side's batters do enough to throw him off his lengths, England might find themselves struggling to keep the runs in check.

At the same time, though, India's batting unit has gone through plenty of changes. At least one debut is on the cards for the hosts, who have key middle-order players going through rough runs of form.

An underrated aspect of the batter vs bowler battle could be the returning Jimmy Anderson, who is all set to be the visitors' frontline fast bowler in Vizag. The 41-year-old is relentlessly accurate and has all the weapons in his arsenal to make an impact alongside the spin quartet.

If India haven't learnt from their mistakes in the first Test and managed to come up with strategies that can counter England's, they will be sitting ducks in Vizag. With their XI being even more depleted, the hosts will need to win the game on the tactics board and not on the field.

Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid have had their fair share of hiccups along the way, but they can be backed to turn things around in the series, just like they did during the lead-up to the 2023 World Cup.

England might be the better side on form, but their spin attack doesn't inspire enough confidence despite their promising showing in the first Test. If India get their pitch preparation right, they could turn in a convincing display and level the series.

It's almost impossible to predict a winner since two world-class sides are locking horns, but India could have the slight edge.

Prediction: India to win the second Test vs England.