Lord's Test: India-England resume battle amidst Anderson-Jadeja row

London The simmering row involving James Anderson and Ravindra Jadeja has added some spice to the series as India and England gear up for the second cricket Test at Lords where a lively wicket is expected to welcome the two teams here tomorrowAs if the lifeless wicket at Nottingham was not enough the alleged altercation between the two players has marred the start of the fivematch series A date for hearing has not been finalised as yet which means Anderson is sure to play and the incident is bound to have a bearing when the two teams square upAlso ReadOnfield Controversy India alleges James Anderson abused Ravindra JadejaRavindra Jadeja and James Anderson Pic AFPICC has charged the home paceman Anderson for pushing and abusing Jadeja during the lunch break on the second day of first Test If found guilty he could miss at least two and up to four Tests or upto 8 ODIs something that the hosts will not desire under any circumstances The ECB has retaliated with a report against Jadeja as wellAs much as the English team management will be lobbying hard for the leader of their attack they will also be keeping an eye on the pitch for the game Two days ahead of the match the centrewicket at Lord s bore a distinctive green tinge Much of it is expected to disappear by time of the toss on the first morningAlso ReadIndiaEngland 2nd Test Will Lords prove to be different than Trent BridgeEven so it is possible that the wicket will retain some juice in it thanks to this delayed shaving It will be joyous news for the quicker bowlers on both sides then a sort of reward for the hard work they put in during the Nottingham game At the same time such a scenario will also be in keeping with how Tests at Lord s have panned out in recent times The average firstinnings score at this ground historically is 315 runs but from 2010 until 2014 it has gone up to 403 The fact that this is the only ground that hosts two Tests in an English summer helps of courseAnd so skipper Alastair Cook would be confused At the one hand he will want a placid track to reverse his batting fortunes From becoming his nation s top centurygetter in Test cricket to not scoring in threefigures for the last 25 innings it has been a steep decline for him While he will want a little less hard work even against a mediocre Indian attack at the other hand he will also desire more assistance for his bowlers as England continue their search for an end to their ninematch winless streak He will feel happier with the finer print that is in the bowling figures at Lord sPace bowlers have found a lot of success here in recent times If the period from 20082014 is considered they have taken 165 wickets at an average of 2195 in comparison to the spinner s figures of 69 wickets at 2928 The faster bowlers figures are even more impressive when compared with the period from 20002007 wherein they took 145 wickets at an average of 2768 The distinctive slope at this famous ground perhaps plays to their advantage Any which way it can be assumed that spin will not be a major factor in this Test unless something extraordinary happens to the pitch over the course of five daysAs such then England will not be playing leftarm spinner Simon Kerrigan who is as it is considered a longshot given his disappointing debut in the Ashes last year He is said to be in the squad to begin his reintegration to the Test format For India meanwhile perhaps this puts to rest the question of playing two spinners At Trent Bridge the 198run worldrecord 10th wicket stand between Anderson and Joe Root notwithstanding the Indian bowlers gave a fairly good account of themselvesIndian skipper MS Dhoni likes to think of international cricket as a process and in that respect his inexperienced bowling attack did graduate from the way they bowled in the two practice games at Leicester and DerbyshireMeanwhile the sixbatsmenlineup too performed satisfactorily and merits another go as the Indian team searches for a first overseas Test win since 2011 Perhaps the only selection dilemma facing Dhoni ahead of this Test will be regarding who his fourth and fifth bowlers should beThe summation of spinners disliking for Lord s and Stuart Binny s matchsaving maiden fifty at Nottingham means that the allrounder will be in the playing eleven Inadvertently it means a tossup between R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja The former had a lengthy bowling spell in the nets while the latter batted bowled and took slipcatching practice going through a proper prematch workoutThis Indian team management doesn t tinker around with its combination too much certainly not when they have come away from the first Test with the series still poised nilnil There is every reason to expect that Ashwin will continue to sit out with Jadeja continuing in the role of the lone spinner Whether their roles should be switched is a debate for another day perhaps the end of this second Test match