India vs England 2nd Test Predicted Playing 11, Squad, Players List: A desperate India have decided to go for the jugular by opting for a spicy turner against a well-prepared England side in the second Test starting Saturday, well aware that it can boomerang and cost them a spot in the World Test Championship final. The honeymoon of the Australian series is over after a sobering 227 run defeat in the first Test.
England will have a new wicketkeeper in Ben Foakes and Stuart Broad will replace James Anderson as part of workload management. Also in the mix is Moeen Ali, a known nemesis of India, in place of last match’s first innings top wicket-taker Dom Bess. Jofra Archer’s elbow injury might make way for bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes, who is a handy batsman apart from being a fine pacer in his own right.
A fit-again Axar Patel is the closest to being a like-for-like replacement for an injured Ravindra Jadeja. Patel’s Test debut looks imminent as Ashwin will need someone to hold on at the other end. However, one can’t be so sure about Kuldeep Yadav, who in his short six-Test career has played some tough games. He would fancy his chance for being a better attacking option than Washington Sundar.
Squads
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishab Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasiprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha, Shardul Thakur.
England: Joe Root (captain), Dominic Sibley, Rory Burns, Ollie Pope, Dan Lawrence, Ben Stokes, Ben Foakes (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Jack Leach, Olly Stone.
Predicted Playing XI:
India: Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma
England: Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Dan Lawrence, Joe Root(c), Ben Stokes, Ben Foakes(w), Ollie Pope, Dominic Bess, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, James Anderson