By Akshay - Jul 01, 2025 10:28 PM
IND vs ENG 2nd Test: India are trailing 0-1 in the five-match Test series against England and have several crucial decisions to make ahead of the second match starting at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Wednesday.
The main concern for Shubman Gill and his team will be managing Jasprit Bumrah's workload. With an eight-day gap between the first two Tests, deciding which of the two matches India's bowling spearhead should play could prove to be crucial.
Irrespective of Bumrah's availability, India are likely to include Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI - he could be the most potent wicket-taking option for Gill. As per statements from Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir after the Headingley Test, India's priority is to take 20 wickets, which suggests Shardul Thakur could make way for Kuldeep.
If Bumrah is rested, India could give Arshdeep Singh a Test debut, with the left-armer adding variety to the bowling attack. One important thing to take away from India's tour of Australia is that if the Gambhir-led side opts for caution, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar could be included to add depth to the batting. There is expected to be no change in the batting order, with Washington Sundar replacing Karun Nair.
IND Playing 11: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Karun Nair/Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy/Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Jasprit Bumrah/Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
ENG Playing 11: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brooke, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
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