by Thomas Rooney

London, Jul 29: There hasn't been much time to reflect on the epic first test at Lords, but it is already time to focus on the second match of the series at Trent Bridge. England and India head to Nottingham for the latest installment, with the hosts 1-0 up as things stand.

If the Lords test showed us anything though, it's that there will be many twists and turns in this series with the latest chapter in the contest between these two sides getting underway tomorrow. Before we look at the key battles that could help decide the second test, it is worth a quick look at who came out on top at Lords with regards to the individual duels we highlighted last week.

Alastair Cook v Zaheer Khan - This is a difficult one to judge given Zaheer's injury, but India’s strike bowler did dismiss Cook - who had a poor game overall - before he withdrew, so in the context of the whole series, Zaheer (presuming he is fit) has the upper hand.

Eoin Morgan v Suresh Raina - With scores of 0 and 19, Morgan was not influential for England. Raina showed his fighting spirit in the second innings, so individually, he had the better game.

Andrew Strauss v MS Dhoni - If you make your own luck as a cricket captain, then India’s skipper needs to step up his game. Injuries to Zaheer and Gautam Gambhir and illness to Sachin Tendulkar disrupted his tactics. Strauss had more of his players on form, but he also made a positive declaration in the first innings to set the tone.

Now it's time for Trent Bridge. We are learning more and more about the battle between these two teams as each session of cricket passes and with this in mind, we can highlight three more battles to keep an eye on during the second test match.

Graeme Swann v Harbhajan Singh

Playing at his home ground, Graeme Swann will be expecting a big performance from himself. He enjoys playing at Trent Bridge and will thrive in the excellent atmosphere. Harbhajan needs to do the same for India. He is the leading wicket taker in Tests of players still in action today and he needs to show why. Dhoni should be able to call on his spinner without hesitation. There have been discussions of India player four seamers at Trent Bridge and this highlights the potential vulnerability of Harbhajan in his current form. He is likely to retain his place though and he needs to make it count. Pure and simple, Harbhajan is a wicket-taker. Therefore, he needs to be more attacking in his approach. Neither Swann nor Harbhajan got massive reward at Lord's with only three wickets between them and on a seamer friendly pitch in Nottingham, they will have to work hard for their dismissals once again. So, whoever gets the most positive response could aid their team in the fine line between victory and defeat.

Kevin Pietersen v Rahul Dravid

Both Kevin Pietersen and Rahul Dravid were in fine form during the first test match. The task for each of them now is to follow this up. Both batsman have set a marker down for being the leading run-scorer in this series. They have a platform of runs to build from and can go into the second test in a good frame of mind to be highly influential again. This is why the success of these two is crucial for both sides. England need Pietersen's knock to be a sign of the times, a sign that he has matured as a batsman and can score runs when necessary. They don't want it to be a flash in the pan. In a tight series between two strong sides, Strauss doesn't want Pietersen resting on his laurels and hauling out for a quick-fire 40. If he can make the way he dug in before showing his natural flamboyance the norm, it takes England's batting line-up to a whole new level. As for Dravid, he is always going to be a key player for India and they need more of the same following his trademark century at Lord's. This time though, with more support from those around him. The wicket of Pietersen is crucial for India. The wicket of Dravid - as it always, always has been - is crucial for England. Let's see who comes out on top at Trent Bridge.

Matt Prior v MS Dhoni

This is a topic of much debate, but at the moment Matt Prior is considered as the best wicket-keeper batsman in Test cricket. This was highlighted when he scored 71 in the first innings at Lord's followed by an arguably match-winning century in the second innings. Prior is so incredibly important to this England team. He gives them quick runs when they need it most and India should once again be wary of the fact that if Prior is in for an hour or so, the score is going to tick along at a decent rate. Dhoni's role for India is of course different. As captain of the side he has to be responsible at the crease and play each situation on its merits. Should he be more positive with the bat though and try to counter-attack in the style of Prior?

At Lord's, the Indian skipper came to the crease in each innings with there being a need for consolidation. Perhaps he needs the top order to have moved the score along a lot more before he can attack England's bowlers in a way that he is capable of. The situation when five wickets are down is of course key for both Prior and Dhoni, but how they handle it is crucial for the way in which the match shapes up. After Prior was so influential with the bat at Lord's, perhaps it is time for Dhoni to show everyone what he is made of at Trent Bridge. As ever, the match will not be won and lost purely based on these three battles. However, all of the players mentioned have a key role to play in deciding the result in Nottingham. The action gets underway on Friday and once again it should be gripping stuff from start to finish. 

Teams:

India (From): MS Dhoni(w/c), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Abhinav Mukund, Wriddhiman Saha, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan, S Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar

England (From): Andrew Strauss(c), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior(w), Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Chris Tremlett