2nd Test: England and India battle for series lead, crucial WTC23 points

England and India will lock horns from tomorrow at Lord’s with the aim of gaining an important 1-0 lead in the ongoing five-match Test series. They will also be motivated by the prospect of earning some vital World Test Championship (WTC) points. The opening Test suffered the disappointment of a washout on the final day at Trent Bridge, despite a thrilling conclusion being on the cards. The English batsmen struggled to make their presence felt in the first Test, with skipper Joe Root left with the job of rebuilding the innings. The top three have often been dismissed cheaply, leaving the skipper with a lot of work.

Ollie Pope is likely to be drafted into the playing XI with Moeen Ali also likely to feature, having been recalled into the squad. This will lend a greater balance to the side. Pacer Saqib Mahmood has further been added to the Test squad as cover for fast bowler Stuart Broad. Broad has been ruled out of the ongoing five-match series, after suffering from a calf injury during warm-ups on Tuesday. The hosts will also be extremely concerned over the fitness of pace spearhead James Anderson, who missed training with a tight quad.

Among the visitors, there is an area of concern over Shardul Thakur’s replacement, with the all-rounder sidelined due to injury. The team management might replace him with a pacer or a spin-bowling all-rounder in Ravichandran Ashwin. However, more changes are not expected after Virat Kohli’s decision to field four pacers and Ravindra Jadeja was vindicated.

All-rounder Moeen Ali holds key for England in vital encounter

Moeen could be drafted straight into the playing XI to bring some balance into the side, after England went in without a frontline spinner in the first Test. The all-rounder could well play a massive role for the hosts who are missing out on a game-changer, with all-rounder Ben Stokes sidelined.

Apart from wily off-spin, Moeen is expected to add a little more impetus with the bat lower down the order alongside fellow southpaw Sam Curran.

The spin-bowling all-rounder hasn’t featured in a home Test match since the first game of Ashes 2019. The encounter was further the ICC World Test Championship 2019-21 opener. After the completion of the series, Moeen went on an indefinite break from Test cricket.

The all-rounder featured in only one Test since then which came against India in Chennai. Moeen was the highest run-scorer (49) and the highest wicket-taker (8) for England in their 317-run loss.

The all-rounder was recalled into the Test squad mid-series when India last toured England. Moeen justified his inclusion with 119 runs and 12 wickets in two Tests, including a Player of the Match-winning performance at Southampton. The cricketer further enjoys a great record in Test cricket against India, having scored more runs (673) and picked more wickets (49) against them than any other team.

England’s squad for the second Test against India: Joe Root (Captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Mark Wood.