IND vs ENG 2021: First look at the Lord's pitch for the second Test
Fans got a first look at the Lord's pitch for the second Test between India and England on Tuesday, two days before the commencement of the second Test. The playing surface wears a green look with abundant grass cover on it. From the early signs, it looks like Lord's pitch will assist the seamers more than the tweakers.
A Twitter user shared a photo of the Lord's pitch on her social media account. You can view it below.
Lord's will host the second Test of the 5-match series between August 12 - 16. The groundsmen might trim down a little bit of grass in the next two days, but there might not be any drastic changes to the current look of the surface.
Team India might stick to the 4-seamer strategy in the second Test as the pitch at Lord's seems conducive for swing. India has a very poor record while playing at the Lord's cricket ground. They have played 18 Tests so far at the iconic venue and won on just two occasions. Team India lost 12 games and drew four Tests. Their two wins at Lord's came in 2014 and 1986.
Ajinkya Rahane has had a very Laxman-like career: Aakash Chopra
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra discussed the pressure and scrutiny faced by the Indian Test vice-captain in recent times. Chopra drew a parallel between Ajinkya Rahane and VVS Laxman's careers. He commented on how both players have always been under scrutiny irrespective of their performances on the field.
"Rahane is India's highest run-scorer in the WTC cycle, so there should not be that much pressure on him, he is the vice-captain as well. But he always feels the pressure. He has got a very Laxman-like career, that if he scores runs then also pressure, and if he doesn't score then pressure in any case," said Aakash Chopra.
"It is an international series and India is playing only five batsmen. When you continuously play five batsmen, there is slight pressure on everyone and you have to perform well. There is pressure on Kohli as well, not on his Test career, which will be long and will continue to go well," concluded Aakash Chopra.