England's spinner Shoaib Bashir, who had faced visa issues due to his Pakistani heritage, not only joined the England squad in India for the second Test in Visakhapatnam but also played in the match. He was England's most successful bowler on the opening day, taking two wickets, including that of India captain Rohit Sharma. This comes after seasoned spinner Jack Leach sustained a knee injury during the series opener. The first Test saw notable performances from Ollie Pope with 196 runs and debutant Tom Hartley's seven-wicket haul.