England vs India 2021: when is 2nd cricket Test match, Lord's ticket info, series schedule - and TV coverage

England and India were both frustrated by the rain after an evenly-poised First Test was washed out on the final day.

A hard-fought contest between the two nations at Trent Bridge was in the balance, with all results possible heading into Day Five.

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But persistent rain meant that the game was abandoned, with India chasing a further 157 runs to win, and England seeking nine more wickets having hauled themselves back into the contest on the back of Joe Root’s exceptional century on the fourth day.

It sets things up nicely for the Second Test which starts this week – but England, in particular, have some huge decisions to make over their top-order batting line up.

When is the Second Test between England and India?

There isn’t much of a gap between the first two Tests, with the Second Test starting on Thursday 12th August.

It will be played at Lord’s, the home of cricket.

Play gets under way at 11am, with the toss scheduled for 10.30am.

How to buy tickets for England v India at Lord’s

Tickets for the Second Test sold quickly when they went on general sale. There are still a handful left available here.

What is the weather forecast?

After a potentially thrilling end to the First Test was washed out because of rain on Sunday in Nottingham, all eyes will be on the weather forecast this week.

So far, the weather looks set to be fair. Thursday has a high of 23 degrees Celsius and no rain, while that forecast continues through to the fifth day’s play on Monday.

Saturday has the worst forecast, but the BBC are still predicting a relatively dry day with just a 10% chance of rain.

How to watch the Test on TV

The Second Test will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. All five days will be available on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket with the broadcast starting at 10am.

You can subscribe here or get a Now TV day pass here.

Subscribers can watch the cricket on the move via the Sky Go app.

BBC2 will be showing highlights each day at 7pm, while on the radio, Five Live and Test Match Special have coverage.

England vs India team news

Despite the draw, England have a number of selection problems.

The continued failures of top order batters like Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley could see them replaced, with the likes of Haseem Hameed waiting in the wings, while Ollie Pope’s potential return from injury could come at the expense of Dan Lawrence.

In the bowling department, captain Joe Root must decide whether to play a spinner. Moeen Ali has been called into the squad and looks set to play and bat at No 7 as an all-rounder with Ben Stokes missing the series.

There are problems in the bowling department too. Stuart Broad has been ruled out of the rest of the series with a calf tear, while James Anderson is a doubt after complaining of a tight quad. It means Ollie Robinson will move up the pecking order to take new-ball duties, with Mark Wood recalled and Craig Overton vying with Lancashire seamer Saqib Mahmood, who has been called up to replace Broad, for the remaining spot.

India must find a replacement for seam bowler Shardul Thakur after he was ruled out of the Lord’s Test with a hamstring strain.

Captain Virat Kohli sprung something of a surprise in Nottingham when he left number one spinner Ravichandran Ashwin out of his XI, but spoke after the match about his satisfaction with the balance of the side in English conditions.

Whether Thakur’s injury forces a rethink and offers Ashwin a lifeline remains to be seen, but the vastly experienced paceman Ishant Sharma appears to have a better chance.