When will the second India-England Test start?
After falling to a humiliating 227-run loss in the first Test against England, India are back on the drawing board ahead of the second rubber that starts on Saturday (February 13) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Not only did Virat Kohli’s boys lose a home Test for the first time since February 2017, but they also slipped to fourth spot in the World Test Championship table.
While certain amends await in India's bowling department, those who retain their spot must strive for accuracy and discipline – both of which were absent in the first Test.
India bowled an alarming 27 no-balls across two innings, with left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem accounting for nine of them. He now looks set to be replaced by Kuldeep Yadav.
In the batting department, India need their openers to lay a solid platform – the opening partnerships were worth 19 and 25 respectively in the first Test.
The hosts would also want Ajinkya Rahane to get back amongst the runs. He has aggregated 115 runs from seven outings since the hundred in Melbourne Test.
England, on the other hand, have hardly put a foot wrong, and Joe Root will want to carry on from where he left off on Tuesday and lead his side to another historic win on Indian soil.
With New Zealand already having cemented a place in the WTC final, the race for the remaining spot has intensified.
Both India and England need to win at least two of the remaining three Tests - India cannot afford to lose a single of them - to seal a date with the Kiwis in June thus year.
Complete schedule of India v England 2021 (In IST)
1st Test: February 5-9 – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai – 9:30 AM
2nd Test: February 13-17 – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai – 9:30 AM
3rd Test: February 24-28 – Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad (D/N) – 2:30 PM
4th Test: March 4-8 – Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad – 9:30 AM
1st T20I: March 12 – Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad (Night) – 7:00 PM
2nd T20I: March 14 – Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad (Night) – 7:00 PM
3rd T20I: March 16 – Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad (Night) – 7:00 PM
4th T20I: March 18 – Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad (Night) – 7:00 PM
5th T20I: March 20 – Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad (Night) – 7:00 PM
1st ODI: March 23 – Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune (D/N) – 1:30 PM
2nd ODI: March 26 – Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune (D/N) – 1:30 PM
3rd ODI: March 28 – Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune (D/N) – 1:30 PM