Captain Virat Kohli might have to seriously consider playing his best spinner Ravichandran Ashwin while expecting a far better show from the seasoned batting line-up when India meets England in the second Test at the Lord's starting Thursday. While India was in a better position to win the first Test before the heavens opened up on the final day, the first innings score of 278 was still below par as none among Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane scored runs. The 4-1 combinationKohli might have to revisit his 4-1 bowling combination which can't be cast in stone considering the lean nature of his team's lower-order batting. In case the pitch is on the drier side, there could possibly be no harm in playing both Ashwin and Jadeja, who can trouble this brittle England batting line-up with different variations. While batting order might not be tinkered with, but Agarwal's fitness could also make Rahul an option in the middle-order, where he personally prefers batting.

Source: The Hindu August 11, 2021 07:23 UTC