MS Dhoni India
MS Dhoni will be desperate to see his India team fashion a victory over England in the second Test at Lord'sReuters

It is ironic that the most exciting and news-worthy moments of India's tour of England so far have come in between matches.

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The second Test at Lord's is set for a 11 pm local time (3.30 pm IST, 6 am ET) start with live coverage on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 3 and Star Sports HD1 in India. The match can also be watched via live streaming online in India HERE. Catch the Test match in the UK on Sky Sports 2, with the option to live stream the action HERE. Viewers in the US can catch the action on ESPN3, while the match can also be live streamed HERE.

The Trent Bridge Test, apart from a few moments of "can it be done" here or there, was largely dull, with the pitch, which made the No.11 batsmen look like top class openers, having the final say. What has followed the first Test, though, has been interesting, with India accusing James Anderson of barging into Ravindra Jadeja in the tunnel as they headed in for a spot of lunch, and England biting back by charging Jadeja of instigating the issue.

England skipper Alastair Cook called it a "tactic" to unsettle England, while the India skipper has stood firm by his team's decision to make a complaint about the hosts' best bowler.

All that this issue does is add a bit more needle to the 2nd Test, with both teams looking to have the last laugh (or, you know, the first of, hopefully, many laughs in this long five-match Test series).

"We have to make sure that the remaining matches are played in the right spirit, but at the same time they are not docile," Dhoni said. "We want the players to be aggressive and say a few things but also play in the right spirit. I'll do what is in my control to ensure that."

After the first Test ended in a draw, with England not even required to bat in the second innings, the pitch at Lord's will be the focus come day one morning. In Nottingham, the ball refused to do anything from ball one on day one, and both sets of teams will be hoping for a bit of help from the wicket at Lord's.

"It looks a good wicket now -- a good covering of grass on it, and a nice green tinge," Cook said. "I've just been speaking to [groundsman] Mick [Hunt], and he's happy with it. Because it's not an exact science, it's very hard to predict exactly how it will go.

"I definitely want a result. Lord's tends to be when you look up not down. If the sun's out it can be a fantastic place to bat. But we just want nicks to carry. I think both sides would like that."

The main problem with the Trent Bridge wicket was that the balls were not even carrying through to the wicketkeeper. There is nothing more morale-sapping for a fast bowler than to see ball after ball barely reaching the keeper despite all the effort being put in.

The grass cover on the Lord's pitch, a couple of days before the start of the second Test, was similar to the one a few weeks ago prior to the Test against Sri Lanka, with the wicket proving to be the bowlers' nemesis yet again, even if the match went right down to the wire.

While nobody wants to see a pitch that moves all over the place making batting near impossible, nobody wants to witness a Test match that goes the whole five days with little chance of a result either.

A fair pitch that does a bit for the bowlers should make this Test match, between two teams desperate for a win, interesting.

Team news: England: While the pitch and the alleged altercation between Jadeja and Anderson have hit the headlines, there are also other worries for both teams when it comes to deciding on the playing XI for this Lord's Test.

Cook and the selectors have to solve the spin problem – whether to stick with Moeen Ali as their first-choice spinner or to bring in Simon Kerrigan, who was called up to the squad for this Test. Chris Jordan might also be hoping for a chance to shine, after Ben Stokes did not exactly set the pulses racing with his bowling, even if the pitch might have been the primary reason for that.

Gary Ballance has been warned by coach Peter Moores after pictures of a drunken night out came to light, but the batsman is expected to retain his place in the side.

India: Stuart Binny's selection on the placid pitch was roundly criticised, with the all-rounder barely getting a ball. However, the nice knock of 78 in the second innings might just have convinced Dhoni to give Binny another go, especially with the ball expected to do a little more for the faster bowlers at Lord's.

If Binny is dropped, which does look unlikely at the moment, one of R Ashwin or Rohit Sharma will come in.

Key men: England: Cook needs some runs and he needs it quickly. Anderson was the best bowler in the first Test match, and the swing machine will look to make the ball talk against an India side he will be raring to go at.

India: Virat Kohli was quite disappointing in the opener, despite the pitch being as flat as a pancake. India need their best batsman to come to the fore in this series, and a Test hundred at Lord's will be a great start. Ishant Sharma had one great spell against England, and Dhoni will want more of the same but on a more consistent level from his lanky strike bowler.

Expected lineups: England: Alastair Cook (capt), Sam Robson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Matt Prior, Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad, Liam Plunkett, James Anderson.

India: Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Stuart Binny, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami.