Preview: India vs England – Second Test
First Published : 22 Nov 2012, 13:18
Last Modified : 22 Nov 2012, 13:22
What
The second Test between India and England in the series of four matches
When
November 23 to 27, 2012.
Where
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. One of the most celebrated venues of Indian cricket, Wankhede Stadium is the home ground of some of the legends of the game. Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar have grown up honing their cricketing skills on this very ground. The stadium sealed its place in the history books when it hosted Team India to the 2011 World Cup triumph.
The teams
India are on a high after winning their last three Tests at home, the most recent being their nine-wicket victory over England in the first Test of this series. The hosts outplayed England in all aspects of the game in Ahmedabad and if it wasn’t for Alastair Cook’s obdurate 176, the visitors would have been thrashed by an innings. India would want to maintain their stranglehold over England with another clinical performance, in Mumbai.
England would still be smarting from their horrific batting performance in the first innings in Ahmedabad that led to their eventual defeat in the Test. Their meek surrender for 191 only underlined the English batsmen’s vulnerability against spin bowling. However, Cook and Matt Prior (91) scripted redemption of sorts in the second essay and that should bode well for their confidence.
Key players
The good news for Team India is that their recent wins have been architected by their young guns. Cheteshwar Pujara – the double centurion in Ahmedabad – and Virat Kohli have started their Test careers on a positive note while R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha are already being talked up as India’s new spin twins. The concern over senior batsmen’s form too has come down with Virender Sehwag’s blazing century and Gautam Gambhir’s solid 45 in Ahmedabad. All India would hope now is for Sachin Tendulkar’s unusually long run-drought to end on his home turf.
Ishant Sharma is likely to replace Umesh Yadav in the second Test.
Alastair Cook and Matt Prior showed his team-mates that they can stick to their style of batting and still succeed against the spinners on the slow Indian tracks. The captain would hope his batsmen learn quickly. England are expected to make a few changes in the playing XI – some forced and others by choice. Either of Johnny Bairstow and Eoin Morgan will get a game in the absence of Ian Bell, who has flown home for the birth of his first baby. Besides, the visitors would be seriously contemplating going in with two specialist spinners by playing Monty Panesar. If Panesar plays, Tim Bresnan is most likely to sit out.
Trivia
Virender Sehwag will become the ninth Indian player to appear in 100 Tests. No Indian has scored a century in his 100th Test, with VVS Laxman’s 64 being the highest.
The last team to come from behind to win a Test series was England in New Zealand in 2007-08. England lost the first Test but won next two to take the series 2-1. England are also the only visiting team to do so on Indian soil when they won the series 2-1 in 1984-85 after losing the first Test.
Venue stats
India: Played 22, Won 9, Lost 6, Drawn 7, No Result 0
England: Played 6, Won 2, Lost 3, Drawn 1, No Result 0
1. Average first innings score at Wankhede Stadium: Overall – 345,
since 2000 – 325
2. Average second innings score at Wankhede Stadium: Overall - 323,
since 2000 – 274
3. Result summary at Wankhede Stadium:
|
Matches |
Won by side batting 1st |
Won by side batting 2nd |
Draws |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Overall |
10 |
5 |
7 |
|
Since 2000 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
4. Head-to-head:
|
Matches |
Played |
India won |
England won |
Drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Overall |
104 |
20 |
38 |
46 |
|
In India |
52 |
15 |
11 |
26 |
|
At Mumbai |
6 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
5. Last meeting between both sides at Wankhede Stadium:
Brief scores: 18-22 March 2006
England 400 & 191, India 279 & 100. England won by 212 runs
6. Form guide (most recent listed first):
India: Won, Won, Won, Lost, Lost (3 wins, 2 losses)
England: Lost, Lost, Draw, Lost, Draw (0 wins, 3 losses)
The squads
India: MS Dhoni (capt, wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, M Vijay, Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha
England: Alastair Cook (capt), Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Jonathan Bairstow, Nick Compton, Matt Prior (wk), Joe Root, Samit Patel, James Anderson, Steven Finn, Stuart Broad, Stuart Meaker, Graham Onions, Graeme Swann, Monty Panesar, Eoin Morgan, Tim Bresnan
