Ahead of the second Test, from February 2 at Visakhapatnam, former England captain Michael Atherton called England favourites for the five-match series against India.
Olly Pope’s 196 and debutant Tom Hartley’s fourth innings of 7 for 62 helped England overcome a 190-run deficit in the first innings and defeat Hyderabad in the first Test match of the series. They defeated India by 28 points. One up.
To make matters worse for India, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja will be ruled out of the second match. The key to India’s home success over the past decade has been Jadeja scoring 87 runs and five wickets for Hyderabad, while Rahul continued his return to form with 86 runs and 22 wickets. Virat Kohli will also miss the Test match.
In hiscolumn for
The Times, former England captain Michael Atherton talks about how the scenario has been since England arrived in India. He explained what had changed as follows: He’s a strong second favorite in a situation where it would be disappointing if he didn’t win the series. ”
Atherton spoke about the “huge change in atmosphere” after England’s victory in Hyderabad: “A result like this was very unexpected and incredible, considering it was the first innings for both teams, and it must have had a huge psychological impact, especially given the quick turnaround and the circumstances. For sure.” Two of India’s key players, Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul, were injured. England have a big chance to extend their lead. ”
He pointed out how England benefited from Kohli’s absence in Hyderabad. “The significance of Kohli’s absence was evident in the first Test, given his desire for big runs, his confident catches at slip, and his ability to withstand pressure.” Passionate attitude towards the field.
“Rohit Sharma is a completely different kind of captain than his predecessor (Kohli). At the same time, he is more relaxed, if not as passive as MS Dhoni. Kohli’s glorious presence above was particularly missed. It’s not hard to imagine how he tried to get the crowd going and how his energy transferred to others. It would have been.”
Atherton discussed the significance of the absence of Jadeja, who is “India’s second most valuable cricketer after Kohli” and said, “Not only are India losing 1-0, but the team’s “We face unprecedented uncertainty regarding the balance between the two.” .
“Suddenly there seem to be a lot of potential weaknesses. He (Jadeja) has a good record as an all-rounder. The difference between his batting and bowling averages puts him in the highest ranks. This keeps the team well balanced.
“Washington Sundar, the off-spinning all-rounder who was called into the team this week, weakens the bowling. Saurabh Kumar, the left-arm all-rounder, weakens the shot and also weakens Kuldeep Yadav’s wrist rotation. .All the problems are in India.”
Atherton also talked about England’s 2020-21 season tour. India won the first Test match before clinching the series with three consecutive wins. “After England’s 1-0 lead in Chennai last time in 2021, India’s reaction is such that the England team won’t be too scared if they get a similar reaction this time.”
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