IND vs ENG 2nd T20I: Preview, Pitch Report, and Predicted Playing XI

After a comprehensive victory in the first T20I in Kolkata, the second T20I IND vs ENG will be held in Chennai on January 25 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. It is to be played at 7:00 PM IST; with the five-match series levelled at 1-0, India will try to seal their grip. England, however, would be urgent to bounce back and level the series.

Challenges for England

Now that the action is shifting to Chennai, there are several issues that England needs to rectify from the first game.

They will surely make some changes in their playing XI, with Brydon Carse most likely to replace Gus Atkinson to strengthen the bowling side, and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith could well get a game or two in the middle order to increase the depth of their batting.

The English batsmen, such as Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone, are the ones to watch, considering the form the Indian spinners have been in during the series so far.

India is in Good Shape

Team India has been providing support to the young players. Captain Suryakumar Yadav made a great call to play an all-strength spinner in Kolkata, which helped him immensely.

The spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel is on fire, and again they will try to make the most of the turning track at Chennai.

Players like Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh, along with the experienced Hardik Pandya, add balance to the squad, ensuring both stability and aggression.

Also Read: IND vs ENG: Dream11 Prediction, Match-2

IND vs ENG Pitch Report

This traditional spin-friendly pitch is heaven for spinners at MA Chidambaram Stadium. The color of the soil could determine the degree of bounce and seam movement—the red or black-and, for the time being, may prove helpful to the fast bowlers.

England did not fare too well against the spinners in the first T20I and are likely to face more adversity in Chennai conditions. Teams might wish to bat first if they win the toss and look to exploit the dryness of the surface later.

India’s Playing XI for IND vs ENG 2nd T20I

India is expected to stick with their winning combination from the first T20I. However, there remains some suspense around Mohammed Shami’s fitness, and he might feature in the later stages of the series.

India Predicted XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy/Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy.

England Predicted XI: Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wk), Jos Buttler (C), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell/Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.