Buoyed by the comprehensive nine-wicket win in the series opener, a confident India will look to maintain their stranglehold over England when the second cricket Test begins here on Friday in conditions which is expected to suit the home team spinners.
Already 1-0 up in what has been touted as the 'revenge series', another victory for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men will ensure that England's quest for their first series win on Indian soil in 27 years will continue. It will also keep Indian on track for a whitewash and avenge the 4-0 defeat they suffered during their last tour to England.
India totally outplayed England in the opening game of the four-match series on a dusty bowl at Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad except for a fightback by captain Alastair Cook and wicketkeeper Matt Prior that kept them afloat till the final day after the home side took a huge 330-run first innings lead.
Barring Cook and Prior, who scored 176 and 91 in England second innings in Ahmedabad, the other visiting batsmen looked all at sea against the Indian bowling attack led by left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha who emerged with a nine-wicket haul.
The match at Wankhede would also be significant with Virender Sehwag set to become the only ninth Indian player to feature in 100 Tests. The form of the dashing opener, who hit a run-a-ball 117 in India's massive first innings, would be crucial again in the outcome of the second match and, in fact, in the whole series.
India, however, may miss the services of pacer Umesh Yadav who picked up a lower back injury while trying to get some extra pace and bounce on unresponsive Motera track during the first match. Yadav's injury has brought Ishant Sharma into the picture as a possible replacement.
Yadav had given the home side important breakthroughs - including the wickets of Ian Bell and Samit Patel off successive balls -- in England's second innings in the first Test and it will be a blow for the home side if they have to miss him here.
Zaheer Khan, who used the old ball craftily in tightening the screws on England on an unresponsive pitch at Ahmedabad, will spearhead the attack. The gangling Sharma, who has recovered from his viral infection that laid him low in the first Test, would be his likely new ball support if Yadav is ruled out, leaving the latter's cover Ashok Dinda in the reserves.
India are also likely to retain R Ashwin, though he gave away over 100 runs while getting tail-end batsman Graeme Swann in England second innings to add to his three-wicket haul in the first, and keep his off-spin rival Harbhajan Singh again in the reserves.
The Indian batting clicked in telling fashion with Sehwag rattling the England attack with a run-a-ball 117, his first in more than two years. Cheteshwar Pujara would also look to continue from where he left in Ahmedabad where he hit an unbeaten 206 in a team score of 521 for 8 declared.
Already 1-0 up in what has been touted as the 'revenge series', another victory for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men will ensure that England's quest for their first series win on Indian soil in 27 years will continue. It will also keep Indian on track for a whitewash and avenge the 4-0 defeat they suffered during their last tour to England.
India totally outplayed England in the opening game of the four-match series on a dusty bowl at Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad except for a fightback by captain Alastair Cook and wicketkeeper Matt Prior that kept them afloat till the final day after the home side took a huge 330-run first innings lead.
Barring Cook and Prior, who scored 176 and 91 in England second innings in Ahmedabad, the other visiting batsmen looked all at sea against the Indian bowling attack led by left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha who emerged with a nine-wicket haul.
The match at Wankhede would also be significant with Virender Sehwag set to become the only ninth Indian player to feature in 100 Tests. The form of the dashing opener, who hit a run-a-ball 117 in India's massive first innings, would be crucial again in the outcome of the second match and, in fact, in the whole series.
India, however, may miss the services of pacer Umesh Yadav who picked up a lower back injury while trying to get some extra pace and bounce on unresponsive Motera track during the first match. Yadav's injury has brought Ishant Sharma into the picture as a possible replacement.
Yadav had given the home side important breakthroughs - including the wickets of Ian Bell and Samit Patel off successive balls -- in England's second innings in the first Test and it will be a blow for the home side if they have to miss him here.
Zaheer Khan, who used the old ball craftily in tightening the screws on England on an unresponsive pitch at Ahmedabad, will spearhead the attack. The gangling Sharma, who has recovered from his viral infection that laid him low in the first Test, would be his likely new ball support if Yadav is ruled out, leaving the latter's cover Ashok Dinda in the reserves.
India are also likely to retain R Ashwin, though he gave away over 100 runs while getting tail-end batsman Graeme Swann in England second innings to add to his three-wicket haul in the first, and keep his off-spin rival Harbhajan Singh again in the reserves.
The Indian batting clicked in telling fashion with Sehwag rattling the England attack with a run-a-ball 117, his first in more than two years. Cheteshwar Pujara would also look to continue from where he left in Ahmedabad where he hit an unbeaten 206 in a team score of 521 for 8 declared.