The second match of the five-match Test series between India and England is being played at Lord’s. India made a change in their playing XI for the second Test against fast bowler Ishant Sharma to replace injured Shardul Thakur. However, some former cricketers were surprised to see Ravichandran Ashwin’s name not included in the squad and called the decision of skipper Virat Kohli wrong. Kohli clarified that Ishant was allowed to replace Shardul after considering the pitch and conditions. He said Ashwin was one of the 12 players selected before the match, but after seeing the situation at Lord’s, we decided to play Ishant.
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Speaking about Ishant’s selection during the toss, the Indian captain said, “The name of Ashwin was clearly in the group where we announced 12 players. But, considering the pitch, the conditions and how the fourth bowler can be an offensive option, we took this decision as a team. Ishant’s record at the Lord’s is great and he was instrumental in the team’s second win at the field in 2014. However, on the first day of the Test at Lord’s, the pitch did not help the fast bowlers and Team India lost just three wickets.
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KL Rahul scored the sixth century of his Test career while batting for India. At the same time, Rohit Sharma fanged his fans by 83 runs. Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s good start once again failed to turn into a big innings and was dismissed for 42 runs. Cheteshwar Pujara’s flap show continued in this match and he was dismissed after scoring only 9 runs. The first Test at Trent Bridge between the two teams ended in a draw.
