"You will not know which ball to leave" - Aakash Chopra picks a player from each side to watch out for in the 2nd IND-ENG Test
Aakash Chopra has picked a player each from India and England who could be the standout performer on the first day of the Lord's Test between the two sides.
Both India and England have exceptional seam-bowling attacks that can run through the opposition batting line-up. The two teams will also hope that their batsmen rise to the occasion and help them post a substantial score.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra named Ollie Robinson as the likely standout performer from the England side. He reasoned:
"If England were to bowl, I am picking Ollie Robinson. The slope will help this player a lot because you will not know which ball to leave and which ball to play."
The former Indian cricketer highlighted that the lanky pacer will cause problems for the visitors with both line and disconcerting bounce. Aakash Chopra elaborated:
"He was the standout bowler of the last encounter. The height from which he bowls, his debut was also at Lord's, if I remember correctly. You are already worried about the bounce and now you will have problems with the line as well."
Robinson took a seven-wicket match haul in his debut Test at Lord's against New Zealand. He followed that up with his maiden five-wicket haul in the first Test against India at Trent Bridge.
Aakash Chopra on the likely star bowler from the Indian side
Aakash Chopra expects Jasprit Bumrah to carry his rich vein of form from Nottingham to Lord's. He elaborated:
"From India, I am picking Boom Boom. The Lord's pitch is slightly tilted, so there is sideways movement with and against the slope. It is very normal for the ball to go in the reverse direction of what you intend to do. Boom boom - as the heat is increasing, he is getting super fit."
The 43-year-old pointed out that he has opted to go with a bowler from both sides as it is the area of strength of the two teams. Aakash Chopra observed:
"We don't know who is going to win the toss and it depends on who is bowling. If you see the batting of both sides, they seem low on confidence and the bowling looks better on both sides. So whoever bowls on the first day, even though I am saying winning the toss and batting first is advantageous, will definitely leave their mark."
The Lord's pitch is likely to be less seamer-friendly than the one at Nottingham. The batsmen from both sides will hope to emulate the efforts of Joe Root and KL Rahul from the first Test and make match-defining contributions.