India aims to change fortunes in Vizag test

VISAKHAPATNAM: An under-pressure and under-resourced India will need to think out of the box to counter England’s fearless bunch of ‘Bazballers’ in the second Test beginning here on Friday.

India are seldom stretched at home but following a dramatic loss in Hyderabad, they have plenty to ponder and the absence of injured Ravindra Jadeja and K L Rahul has made their task tougher.

Three years ago, the mighty hosts found themselves in a similar situation having lost the opening Test to England at Chennai but bounced back to win the series.

However, the Joe Root-led side was a different breed then and this time India plan to fightback against a team that has redefined the way Test cricket is played and defied all probability to win the series opener after conceding a 190-run lead on a turning track.

England batters, led by Ollie Pope, swept and reverse swept their way to success in the first Test, taking Rohit and his bunch by surprise, while making the most potent spin trio in the world look ordinary.

India won’t have the luxury of fielding Jadeja in this game but Ashwin, four shy of the 500-wicket milestone in Tests, and Axar will need to redraw their plans to come back hard at their uber-aggressive opponents who are sure to employ the sweeping tactics irrespective of the conditions.

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav is expected to play in Jadeja’s absence and it remains to be seen if India go in with only one pacer in Jasprit Bumrah and play another spinner, possibly off-spinning all-rounder Washington Sundar.

Uncapped left-arm spinner Sourabh Kumar has also been added to the squad.

Not just India’s lethal spinners were tested against Bazball, their batters’ struggles on turning tracks also came to the fore as left-arm spinner Tom Hartley transformed a seemingly forgettable debut into a match winning one.

Rohit, perhaps, was the only frontline batter who looked assured in the second innings while the young brigade, especially Shubman Gill, were guilty of playing the turning ball with hard hands.

With Virat Kohli set to return in the third Test, there will be immense pressure on the likes of Gill and even Shreyas Iyer to deliver here in Vizag.

The home team batters are not as comfortable as their English counterparts in playing the sweep but they need to find a way to match the visitors’ high-risk play.

Rajat Patidar, who was also a part of the squad in Hyderabad, is likely to replace Rahul.

After scoring a bagful of runs in domestic cricket, Sarfaraz Khan has finally got the selectors’ nod and would be desperate for an India cap.