Visakhapatnam: As the two sides head to Visakhapatnam for the second Test, the hosts led by Rohit Sharma will be eager to strike back after a humiliating defeat at the hands of England in the Hyderabad Test.
India seemed to have the advantage of winning the previous match after taking 190 run lead in the first innings, but a heroic inning from Ollie Pope and a dramatic Indian collapse in the second innings saw England register a remarkable win and take a deservedly 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Rohit must lead by example with injury issues dogging Team India. The hosts are already missing the services of Virat Kohli, and now with Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul also ruled out, there is a gaping hole in their batting lineup.
However, this allows Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, and Washington Sundar to make a mark on the biggest pedestal. Pressure also is mounting on Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill, who are battling their poor forms.
It is also crucial for Rohit to step up as he got off to a start in the second innings, but could not convert it into a match-winning knock. The hitman is 200 runs away from completing 4,000 Test runs. Millions of his fans will be hopeful he gets back to his best and get to the landmark in style.
The Indian spinners have a herculean task at hand to limit the damage of Bazball cricket displayed by England. They should come out with a specific plan to counter skillful reverse sweeps, especially executed by Pope, the star of the Hyderabad Test. The 26-year-old tourist batted with a never-say-die attitude and scored a sensational 196 to turn the game on its head.
Ahead of the series, talks centered around whether England's Bazball will work on Indian pitches. And to say it worked is an understatement.
Ben Stokes' leadership and debutant Tom Hartley's bowling were the highlight of their peerless style of play. Brimming with confidence, England are unlikely to make any changes to their playing XI.
India's entire squad for the second Test has a combined tally of 10,702 Test runs, while Joe Root alone has 11,447 Test runs. So, expect all the critics to have a close eye on this Indian batting unit, especially the out-of-form Shreyas who has failed to score a single half-century in his last 10 Test innings.
India has played two Tests before in Visakhapatnam and have a perfect record there, but the task is much tougher with the buoyant English side hungry to put an end to India's home dominance.
However, Rohit and company have had setbacks in the past but have always found a way to bounce back strongly. So, the Indian fans expect them to do the same again and level the series.
