All eyes on India's much-hyped spin attack - Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra in the second Test versus England at Vizag after Rajkot jolt
India's spin trio of R Ashwin (right), Ravindra Jadeja (centre) and Amit Mishra during training in Vizag yesterday. Pic/AFP
India's spin trio of R Ashwin (right), Ravindra Jadeja (centre) and Amit Mishra during training in Vizag yesterday. Pic/AFP
Visakhapatnam: When you are up against a team that bats right down to No. 11 and has as many as six regular bowlers to boot, regardless of the experience or lack of it within that set, you must expect to have a proper fight on your hands. And that's what the Indians, who indeed started the five-Test series as firm favourites, got at Rajkot in the opening Test last week.
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Having come away with honours intact, though not exactly even, in the first Test in Rajkot, Virat Kohli and his men will be keen to make up for their poor show in the first Test when the second Test against England gets underway here today.
India is reinforced by the inclusion of KL Rahul, whom the skipper termed as his 'number one choice opener along with (Murali) Vijay', and they will be up on a surface that at first, second and third glance looks more suited to them.
Like Rajkot, this port city is hosting its maiden Test but unlike in the western city, where apparently the word to the ground staff was to ensure a five-day affair, there is no such compulsion on those in charge here.
So do expect spin, spin and more spin along with some swing as demonstrated by Mohd Shami when he bowled on a strip adjoining the Test pitch.
The pitch though is not everything just like the toss isn't. Both captains weren't paying mere lip service when they agreed about the same. To some extent Kohli, as home captain, can control the pitch but neither Cook nor he can do anything about the toss. It's always about playing to the best of your abilities.
Again, as Kohli said, it's about covering all bases when it comes to picking the final XI but he also hinted that, apart from Rahul coming in for Gautam Gambhir, there could be more changes in the XI.
All set then for a thriller and it may be fair to say that neither team is likely to get away with a draw, even if fading light in the evenings may curtail play on most days.
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