The second Test of the five-match series between India and England kicked off at Vizag on Friday. Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and on expected lines elected to bat first.
The big question before the Test was will India go with Four spinners or the usual combination of three spinners and two fast bowlers?
The latter was the answer as India brought in Mukesh and Kuldeep in place of Siraj and Jadeja while Patidar was handed his debut cap to replace KL Rahul.
Expert’s Corner
Ravi Shastri who was present in the commentary box raised concern over the team’s selection. The former Indian coach felt that Mukesh might get under-bowled at the end of the match.
In the words of Shastri “My only concern is picking Mukesh Kumar over Washington Sundar. How much of use will Mukesh be, especially after India is batting first on this Vizag surface,” he said.
The Execution
Earlier in the day when Rohit Sharma was asked about the loss in the First Test during the toss the Indian captain admitted that the team didn’t execute the plans while bowling in the Second innings
“What happened in Hyderabad is history, we need to move on.
“We have spoken on things we need to do, now we need to execute on our plans. I thought we batted well in the first innings but didn’t have the same intent.”
“Similarly, in the second innings with the ball, there was a brilliant knock by Ollie Pope. Injuries are part and parcel of the game, but that’s why we have the guys sitting on the bench,” he said.
India is trailing the five-match series 1-0 having lost the first Test by 28 runs. There were reports that the Rohit Sharma-led side might follow England’s pattern and go in with four spinners and a lone fast bowler in Jasprit Bumrah but that didn’t happen
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