India Wins Toss, Will Bat 1st In 2nd Test Against England

CHENNAI, India: India won the toss and decided to bat in the second cricket test against England on Saturday, hoping to turn around a 1-0 deficit after a 277-run loss in the opener of the four-test series.

England made four changes to its side. Fast bowler James Anderson has been rested, while Jofra Archer was ruled out with an elbow injury sustained in the previous game. Pace bowlers Stuart Broad and Olly Stone come into the side.

Off-spinner Dominic Bess has also been dropped, despite taking 4-55 in the first innings of the first test. Spin-bowling all-rounder Moeen Ali will take over those duties along with left-armer Jack Leach.

Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes is Englands fourth change. He replaces Jos Buttler, who has been rested for the remaining three tests and returns home.

India made three changes to its side. Fit-again left-arm spinner Axar Patel replaces Shahbaz Nadeem and Kuldeep Yadav comes in for Washington Sundar as the hosts attempt to shore up their middle-order batting. Jasprit Bumrah has been rested and Mohammed Siraj will replace him.

The pitch for this second test is expected to be spin-friendly from the start. The top surface is more rugged and will give early assistance to spin bowlers as compared to the flatter surface across the first few days of the previous test.

The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association will allow 50% crowd attendance at the 50,000-capacity M.A. Chidambaram Stadium for the second test.

Long queues were seen prior to the game as fans turned up in large number to redeem paper tickets and vouchers. The host association has put in stringent protocols for fans inside the venue, including sanitizing the ball whenever it is hit into the stands.

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Lineups:

India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj.

England: Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Dan Lawrence, Joe Root (captain), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes, Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Olly Stone, Jack Leach.

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