India v England – England in India Test Series – 2nd Test – England batsmen to watch out for
Having learnt a fair few lessons after being utterly demolished in the first Test of the 4-match series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750, England will be facing up to the challenge of tackling the host team once again, in the second match of the series, due to be played at
the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from November 23 to 27.
The first Test, played from November 15 to 19, saw the visitors struggling on many fronts, but perhaps the most drastic failure, aside from the utter impotency of the English pacers on the pitch in Ahmedabad, was the absolute batting order collapse England
underwent during their first innings. The tourists’ worst fears regarding spin bowlers and the sub-continental pitches came true as they succumbed, all out, to a meagre 191 during their first turn at bat, after facing fierce assaults from the India spin duo
of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/R-Ashwin-c2228.
With India having already declared at 521 during their first innings, England were asked to follow on, but valiant performances from skipper Alastair Cook and wicketkeeper batsman Matt Prior were not enough to salvage the match, which ended in a 9-wicket
defeat for the visitors.
However, 3 tour matches and one Test later, the team will be counting on the batsmen to make some headway in tackling their spin problem, and two batsmen in particular are likely to emerge as key players during the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 Test.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AN-Cook-c1026
Having been handed the captaincy of the national Test team after http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AJ-Strauss-c964 bowed out abruptly earlier this year, Alastair Cook faced the rather daunting task of taking on the tour of India as his first assignment.
While most of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013’s batsmen struggled at Ahmedabad, Cook was one of the two batsmen who managed a somewhat competitive total in the first innings (41). He then went on to display great class during the second innings, leading from the front and almost
single-handedly reviving their innings with a composed 176 (the highest score by an England skipper in India) as he held firm at the crease amid a flurry of wickets. From 199, Cook got the team up to 365 before he made his exit.
The second youngest batsman to pass the 5,000 Test runs landmark after http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SR-Tendulkar-c2556, Cook has displayed great promise since his early years. After having made his Test debut for England in 2006 against India, the 27-year-old has played a total of 84
Tests for the national side, and has 6772 runs (including 21 centuries), at an average of 48.71 and a strike rate of 47.89, to his credit. Given his record, and the prominent performances he put forth at Ahmedabad, Cook is likely to be the stand-out batsman
who leads England through the Test that awaits them at Mumbai.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Prior-c1984
Fast growing into one of the most accomplished wicketkeeper batsmen on the international circuit, it took Matt Prior a while to establish himself, following a slew of blunders early in his career. However, the 30-year-old has finally begun to make a mark.
Since making his debut in 2007, Prior has featured in 59 Tests for England, and has scored a total of 3207 runs at 43.33, with 6 centuries to his name. The right-hander put forth brilliant performances during England’s 2010-2011 tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746, and was
also a key figure during the Poms’ 4-0 whitewash of India in England.
The English wicketkeeper has emerged as one of the most prominent batsmen during the ongoing tour of India. After registering decent scores of 51 and 41 during the tour matches, he top-scored for the team during their disastrous first innings in the Ahmedabad
Test, with 48, and served as an effective foil to Cook in the second innings. Prior went on to smash 91, in addition to joining the skipper for a 157-run partnership for the 6th wicket, and England will be banking on him to continue in a similar
vein at Mumbai.
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