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[Saba Sports News] As India and England gear up for their second Test starting on February 02 in Visakhapatnam, speculation abounds regarding the pitch conditions for the upcoming match. The first Test’s surface offered a fair contest between bat and ball, highlighted by Ollie Pope’s impressive 196 in the second innings that fueled England’s comeback. Following India’s 28-run defeat in the opener, expectations are that a more challenging pitch will be prepared for the second encounter to test the visiting team. England’s captain, Ben Stokes, commented on the pitch, suggesting it would favor batsmen for the initial two days before increasingly favoring spin.
Stokes emphasized the typical subcontinent pattern of pitches turning more as matches progress, noting the potential impact of weather conditions and wear on the pitch over the duration of the Test.
“It might be a good wicket for maybe a day or two. But out here in India and other parts of the sub-continent, you tend to see it spin more and more as the Test goes deeper and deeper. Even though it looks like there’s a little bit more moisture in there with the heat – and today is very hot again – any footholes or stuff like that might come into play the further the Test goes. It might play a little bit better initially than it did last week, but we don’t like to go in with too many pre-conceived ideas,” Stokes shared.
England’s surprising victory in the first Test, overcoming a 190-run first-innings deficit, was partly due to Pope’s standout performance and debutant Tom Hartley’s 7/62, which dismantled India’s chase of 231. The loss was a significant blow to India, further compounded by the absence of key players KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja due to injuries, and Virat Kohli’s unavailability for personal reasons, putting pressure on Rohit Sharma’s captaincy to adjust the team lineup effectively for the second Test.