India vs England 2016: India's predicted XI for the second Test

The Indian Test juggernaut, rolling on the back of a Kiwi whitewash, was halted by a dogged English display in the first Test at Rajkot. The pitch confounded many, including the Team India captain, who was “surprised to see so much grass on the Rajkot pitch”.

India will look for a fresh beginning at Visakhapatnam after England’s dogged batting performance left the hosts’ bowlers red-faced. The poor fielding only made matters worse. 

The English batsmen, including youngsters like Haseeb Hameed, helped themselves to a huge total on a pitch that was a far cry from might have qualified as “home-advantageous”. It was a strong statement from the tourists after a poor showing against Bangladesh last month.

Here’s our predicted Indian XI for the second Test against England:

#1 Murali Vijay

Back in the team after recovering from a thumb injury that slid him down the pecking order, Vijay is ready to open the innings. A century in the first Test at Rajkot would have surely been a morale-boosting knock for Vijay, who averages 43 after returning back from injury. 

His 126, along with Cheteshwar Pujara’s century, provided the hosts a strong response to the English total in the first innings.