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| India v/s England 2nd Test Lord's 2018 |
India vs england full Test series preview is here:- India vs England 2018 Test Series
India lost their first test by just 31 runs, which was played at Edgbaston cricket ground, Birmingham. Once again lack of application by Indian batsmen in overseas conditions. Many said it was a close match. Former England great, Naseer Hussain said, "India lost the test match due to Virat Kohli's captaincy."
Was it???
I don't think so. India bowled beautifully, slip catching was also better than English side, Virat Kohli batted amazingly, few of the other batsmen also got a decent start.
"So where India lost the match?"
India lost the match due to India batsmen's approach on the last day of the test match. India was around 80+ runs away with 5 wickets in hand from the target. Batting was tough. So they could try to attack English bowlers and put some pressure on them. That pressure was missing. That's why English bowlers start putting pressure on Indian batsmen. That's what Sam Curran did in the second innings. Way back in 1986, Kapil Dev hit 4 consecutive sixes in a test match, when they were 9 down. These small things sometimes become big and matter a lot in a sport like 'Cricket'. Hope India will come strongly and repeat the history of 2014 on "Lord's".
Last time, India's present vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane played one of the best innings of his life. Murli Vijay got crucial 95 runs. And who can forget Ishant Sharma's fiery spell at Lord's? That type of performance India needs from these three. They are like lifelines of the Indian team, especially in overseas conditions. So they have to fire if India wants to achieve something in this test series. Hardik Pandya also doesn't give a kind of assurance in all-rounder department. His performance was also not satisfying on South Africa's tour. India team management should think about this matter. Md. Shaami, Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin did a great job with the ball. But Umesh Yadav's lack of consistency and performance is a big problem. Here India is missing the services of Bhuvi and Bumrah. If India will play with their best combination they can turn results in their favour.
England played tremendously in the first test. They hold their nerves and won a close encounter. Their biggest strength is their all-rounders. Ben Stokes and young sensation Sam Curran were amazing. For the second test, Ben Stokes will be unavailable and Dawid Malan has been ruled out due to a lean form with the bat. Chris Woakes and Ollie Pope are replacing them respectively. Joe Root and Johnny Bairstow are in great touch. James Anderson and Stuart Broad performed well in the patches. Their one and only concern is their slip catching. Even India was better than England in slips in the first test. So they have to work hard in slips. Adil Rashid's selection was useless too. He not even bowled 15 overs in the whole test match. Jos Buttler will be a crucial factor in this test match. Hope he will forget his last couple of innings and contribute in team's performance and success.
PROBABLE XI:- (Ist Test)
INDIA:- Virat Kohli(c), Murli Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Kartik(wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravi Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, MD. Shaami, Ishant Sharma
ENGLAND:- Joe Root(c), Alaister Cook, Keaton Jennings, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Straut Broad, Ollie Pope, James Anderson
NICE POST BRO
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