Second of the five test matches between India & England to be played at Lords in London from tomorrow.
Shardul Thakur has been ruled out of the second Test.
England is likely to play the second Test without frontline pace bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
The second of the five test matches between India and England will be played at Lords, at London from tomorrow. The two sides competed in a determined way before the fifth and final day of the Nottingham Test got washed out due to relentless rain on 8 August. Both teams shared four points each from the drawn fixture as the series remains 0-0 and will be eyeing a win at Lords to set the tone of the series.
Both teams will head to Lords a bit concerned over the form of their main batters. Barring, Joe Root who single-handedly saved the match with a fifty and a crucial hundred in the second innings none of the England batters looked comfortable against the four-seam attack of India whereas Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane looked out of form for the visitors. Match will start at 03:30 PM IST.
Pace bowler Shardul Thakur has been ruled out of the second Test, beginning at Lord’s on Thursday, due to a hamstring injury.
“Shardul Thakur is not available for the second Test,” a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official told the media on Wednesday. Indian skipper Virat Kohli said that Thakur will be available for the third Test.
The key question now for India is who replaces Thakur. With conditions in London forecast to be warm and dry – with temperatures in the early 20s for the entire duration of the Test – India have the choice of either picking a second spinning allrounder in R Ashwin or the fourth seamer in Ishant Sharma or Umesh Yadav, considering reverse-swing could be in play along with the seam movement and conventional swing that are usually on offer in English conditions.
England is likely to play the second Test against India at Lord’s Cricket Ground beginning Thursday without frontline pace bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad who are down with injuries.
