“On the Visakhapatnam surface, it could be a good wicket for a day or two,” Ben Stokes said.

Discussing the pitch’s characteristics in advance of the second Test between India and England, which starts on Friday, February 2, in Visakhapatnam, has been common.

Notably, Ollie Pope of England orchestrated his team’s comeback with a brilliant 196 in the second innings of the first Test, which featured a pitch that was well-balanced between bat and ball.

But after losing the first Test match by a total of 28 runs, India is anticipated to provide the visitors with an even more difficult surface for the second match. Ben Stokes, the captain of England, gave his initial assessment of the pitch, predicting that the wicket will spin more as the game goes on and stay decent for the first two days.

“For a day or two, it could be a good wicket.” However, when the test descends farther and deeper, you tend to see it spin more and more out here in India and other parts of the subcontinent. Even though it appears that there is a little bit more wetness in there due to the heat—and it’s getting hotter today—any footholes or other issues could become relevant as the test progresses. According to Cricbuzz, Ben Stokes stated, “We don’t like to go in with too many pre-conceived ideas, but it might play a little bit better initially than it did last week.”

Notably, despite trailing 190 runs in the first inning, England overcame India to win the first match of the series. Playing one of the best knocks by a visiting batter in Indian cricket history, Ollie Pope spearheaded the visitors’ comeback. Tom Hartley, making his debut, looked impressive with the ball as he picked 7/62 to dismiss India for 202, needing 231 to win.

India’s responsibility for deciding on the playing XI is enormous.

The fact that KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja would not be playing in the second Test due to injuries has further worsened India’s situation after the humiliating defeat. Due to Virat Kohli’s scheduled absence from the first two Tests due to personal reasons, the side captained by Rohit Sharma may find it difficult to select a playing XI.