India’s Stunning Victory Masks Hidden Troubles for Rohit Sharma and Company in Upcoming Test Series

Indian hitters did not fire as a collective unit in the second Test, as the home team relied on opener Jaiswal's first innings 209 and Shubman's 104-run knock in the second essay.

IND VS ENG: Former India pacer Zaheer Khan has underlined the hosts’ batting weaknesses in the upcoming series against England, claiming that India won the second Test solely due to the individual brilliance of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill. Indian hitters failed to fire as a unit in the second Test, as the home team relied on opener Jaiswal’s first innings 209 and Shubman’s 104-run performance in the second essay, as well as bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s stunning bowling effort, to achieve a series-levelling 106-run victory.

“There are a few concerns when you look at the team – batting is something that they will be talking about because under these conditions, on this sort of a surface, we have seen India do better,” Zaheer said in an interview with JioCinema.

India set England a 399-run target, and despite Zak Crawley being the only player to reach the half-century mark, the visitors scored 292 runs.

“Look at England’s second innings; they only had one half-century and still got close to 300. That is what collaborative effort can do. We’ve seen two magnificent innings from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, but there’s still a lot of work to be done with the bat,” Zaheer said.

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India, in a commanding position after building a 190-run first innings lead, crumbled to a humiliating 28-run defeat in the series opener and were under immense pressure heading into the second Test.

In addition, India was without star batsman Virat Kohli and the injured trio of KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Shami in Vizag.

“If you’re down one in the series, you’ll need that aggression, fight, and belief to make it 1-1 at the end of the game. And I believe Rohit was able to bring out the individual performances in the players.” The third Test of the five-match series, part of the current World Test Championship cycle, will start on February 15 at Rajkot.

KEY INFORCES:

• Formidable Batting Line-up: The return of Rohit Sharma bolsters the top order, and KL Rahul’s potential inclusion adds further firepower provides stability. This potent batting line-up can pile on big scores.
• Spin Supremacy: India’s spin duo, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, have been wreaking havoc throughout the series. The Rajkot pitch, known for its spin-friendly nature, could be their playground, posing a significant challenge to England’s batsmen.
• Pace Bowling Potential: While concerns surround Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness, Mohammed Shami and the young guns like Mohammed Siraj have displayed their ability to take wickets. A fit Bumrah would further bolster the attack.

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