India vs England 2021: 2nd Test match players list & umpires
After some dominating performances, some introspection, and a lot of blame hurled at the rain gods, India and England are back for the second Test at Lord’s in London starting Thursday (August 12).
India captain Virat Kohli lost his seventh successive toss in all formats as India were put into bat first in conditions which the fast bowlers would smack their lips at. While there doesn’t seem to be much of a change in the weather, amendments – some forced, others tactical – have been made by both sides.
India's seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur has been ruled out of the second game with a hamstring niggle. In comes veteran seamer Ishant Sharma, meaning India keep their 4-1 seam-spin combination intact. This also indicates that Ravichandran Ashwin, whose exclusion at Trent Bridge did stir quite a debate, warms the bench for the second Test running.
England also suffered an injury setback. Stuart Broad has a Grade 3 tear in his right cafe and will no longer partake in the English summer. He makes way for the express pace of Mark Wood. But Broad's senior bowling partner, James Anderson, whose thigh had Joe Root and Chris Silverwood thinking last evening, has recovered in time.
After a string of poor performances, the hosts' batting line-up has finally gone under the knife. 24-year-old Haseeb Hameed comes into the side after a gap of five years, replacing Zak Crawley at No. 3. Lower down the order, Moeen Ali has been pitchforked into the Test side from representing the Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred, in place of Dan Lawrence.
India vs England – 2nd Test playing 11
India playing 11: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah
India squad: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Axar Patel, Wriddhiman Saha, Umesh Yadav, Hanuma Vihari, Abhimanyu Easwaran
England playing 11: Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Haseeb Hameed, Joe Root (c), Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, James Anderson
England squad: Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Zak Crawley, Joe Root (c), Jonny Bairstow, Daniel Lawrence, Jos Buttler (wk), Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, James Anderson, Craig Overton, Sam Curran, Jack Leach, Dominic Bess, Ollie Pope, Haseeb Hameed
India vs England – 2nd Test umpire
On-field umpires: Michael Gough, Richard Illingworth
3rd umpire: Richard Kettleborough
Match referee: Chris Broad