Former Indian cricketers opine that the Lord's Test is the best chance for India to make a comeback

It wasn’t an ideal start to the Test series for Team India. There were high expectations on this side to win the game but the batsmen faltered at the wrong times to bag a 31-run defeat. They are 0-1 down in the series as the focus now shifts to the second Test which will be played at Lord’s.

London hasn’t had much rain for about two months now. Hence, the pitches have dried up which would be a great assisting factor for the Indian team. With so many x-factors going into this game, former legends, Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag believe that the second Test will be the best chance for the team to make a comeback.

All the talks about the Lord’s pitch

Former Indian skipper Ganguly felt that the weather conditions have improved in London. He also added that the conditions were ideal to play cricket and felt India have a strong chance of bouncing back. “The weather has improved in London. The playing conditions are perfect for cricket. India has the best chance to bounce back in the series at Lord’s,” Ganguly told IndiaTV during the show ‘Cricket Ki Baat’.

Furthermore, the 46-year-old left-hander also noted that spinners will have a great time as the game progresses forward. “The wicket will be favourable for Indian spinners in the later days of the match. The forecast suggests rainfall, so the ball will definitely swing here. The Lord’s Test will be a carnival for five days,” he added.

Former opener Sehwag who was a part of this panel also said that this will be a crucial game for the team. “This will be a crucial game for India. England haven’t won a match here for a long time. Recently, Pakistan also defeated them at Lord’s. Earlier, India and Sri Lanka have also won Test matches here. It’s a great chance for India to make a comeback. If the wicket is helpful to bowlers, India have the best chances to win,” Sehwag said.

“If there’s grass on the wicket, fast bowlers will be in command on all five days. Indian bowlers will take 20 wickets again. It will be interesting to see whether Indian batsmen manage to match the opponents’ total or not,” the 39-year-old added.

Virat Kohli will score a century at Lord’s: Sehwag

Sehwag also said that Virat should continue with the same XI and noted that the Indian skipper, R Ashwin and Ishant Sharma will be important. However, Ganguly said that India should try two spinners for this game.

Both Ganguly and Sehwag strongly feel that the 29-year-old Delhi batsman will carry the momentum forward.  “Watching his current form, I believe he’ll definitely score a hundred at Lord’s. I can see that hunger for runs in Virat Kohli. Overcoming the failure he suffered last time in England, Kohli will make many runs this time.” Sehwag said.

“If you see his career graph, you’ll notice that when he hits a century he continues to score hundreds in consecutive matches,” Ganguly added.