IND vs ENG 2021: Playing XI prediction time after Shardul Thakur's injury makes him an uncertainty
It's prediction time again with Shardul Thakur likely to miss the second Test starting Thursday (August 12) due to a suspected hamstring strain. Team India now find themselves in a bit of a pickle as they are set to miss the bowling all-rounder at No. 8.
Thakur was India's fourth seamer during the first Test at Trent Bridge and picked up four wickets - two in each innings. Doubts about his injury came to light when he only bowled 13 overs in England's second innings - the fewest of India's pace bowlers. Thakur, however, did not show any signs of unease at the time.
The question now is who will take his place and whether India will make a change in the top order of their playing XI as well.
Prediction: A look at India's playing XI for the Lord's Test
Here's our playing XI prediction for the second Test at Lord's:
Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujuara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Please note that this squad prediction was made based on Kohli's comments on India's existing template. After the Trent Bridge Test, which ended in a draw, Kohli said he was happy with the template India had chosen - with four fast bowlers and one spin-bowling allrounder in Ravindra Jadeja.
With Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami almost certainly keeping their places, Kohli might just bring in Ishant Sharma.
That would mean Ravichandran Ashwin will have to wait his turn to win a game in the ongoing Test series. According to a Cricinfo report, the lanky pacer had a batting session in the nets ahead of the game while Ashwin didn't pad up for a stint.
India squad: Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane (vc), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav.
What's your playing XI prediction ahead of the second Test at Lord's?