India and England second Test is once again set for an exciting finish at Lord’s just like the first Test in Trent Bridge, where India needed 157 to win on the final day with nine wickets in hand. However, in Nottingham, the game ended in a tame draw as rain washed out the entire final day’s play. So question on everyone’s mind is how will the weather be at Lord’s in London for the final day of the second Test.
The second Test match is delicately poised with India at 181/6, a lead of 154, with Rishabh Pant and Ishant Sharma in the middle. The MET department predicts a partially cloudy day in London with 45 per cent cloud cover in the morning and 63 per cent humidity. The temperature will be hovering around 18 degrees celcius.
By afternoon, the temperature is only going to rise slightly to 19 degrees with 55 per cent humidity. There is 25 per cent chance of showers in the afternoon but the heavy cloud cover should assist fast bowlers from both sides.
India have four paceman in their line-up for the second Test and will be hoping for some natural assistance to trouble Joe Root’s side. Virat Kohli, though, will be hope that the remaining batsmen can take the lead close to 200, to give his bowlers a fighting chance.
Earlier, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara produced a defensive masterclass to keep India alive but England looked in charge of the second Test after an enthralling fourth day’s play at Lord’s on Sunday (August 5). India began their second innings 27 runs behind and by the time they had erased that deficit, both in-form openers were back in the pavilion.
Mark Wood (3/40) drew first blood when he dismissed KL Rahul caught behind for five with a clever change of length. His next over turned out to be an eventful one which ended with Rohit Sharma being dismissed for 21.
Rohit dragged a chest-high ball from outside the off-stump and pulled it for an audacious six, but Wood had the last laugh in this duel. The last ball of that over was a similar one and this time Rohit could not middle the ball and Moeen Ali took a tumbling catch at deep square leg.
India needed skipper Virat Kohli to lead by example, just like his opposite number Joe Root whose unbeaten 180 was the bedrock of England’s first-innings total of 391.
But Sam Curran had other ideas. Kohli played a couple of gorgeous drives in his 20 before Curran found the edge of the Indian captain’s bat.
Pujara went into the match without a fifty in his last 10 innings and vice-captain Rahane has also been short of runs. Known as accumulators in a line-up full of aggressive batsmen, both demonstrated their grit in a dogged 100-run partnership.
Pujara, who made 45, needed 35 balls to get off the mark but soaked up enough deliveries to blunt the English attack. Rahane soldiered on at the other end, aided by a reprieve on 31 when Jonny Bairstow spill a tough chance at point.
Moeen dismissed Rahane for 61 and Ravindra Jadeja for three to expose India’s tail. Wood injured his right shoulder while fielding and had it heavily strapped.
