3 Likely India changes for Second Test vs England: India suffered a shocking loss in the first India vs England Test at Headingley despite dominating play in a significant period of the match.
India became the first team in the entire history of Test cricket to lose a Test match even when they recorded five centuries in the game. India had five centuries from four different batsmen and an outstanding first innings five-for from Jasprit Bumrah.
Yet, it were England who took a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series as Ben Duckett produced his third-highest score in Test cricket, helping England gun down 371, the second-highest successful target chased down by England in their Test history.
The India vs England 2nd Test will be played in Edgbaston, Birmingham, from July 2nd. India have a few areas to look into, including the sloppy fielding, ahead of the second Test. Here are some changes they can make to their lineup, including the big question around Bumrah’s workload.
India vs England 2nd Test: 3 Likely India changes for Second Test vs England At Edgbaston
Nitish Kumar Reddy In, Karun Nair Out
Nitish Kumar Reddy was India’s second-highest run-scorer in the BGT 2024-25 in Australia, scoring 298 runs at an average of 37 with a magnificent century in Melbourne. Yet, Reddy was dropped from the playing XI in the India vs England 1st Test in Leeds.
Karun Nair got in the squad on the weight of his domestic performances, but on his return to the Test side in Leeds, he didn’t seem comfortable. He failed to capitalize on the platforms laid by the top five in both innings, scoring 0 and 20. Reddy would also give the captain an extra bowling option; he showed decent control and an ability to dismiss batsmen with full lengths in Australia.
Also Read: India vs England 2nd Test – Will Jasprit Bumrah be rested?
Kuldeep Yadav In, Jasprit Bumrah Out
It’s possible that Jasprit Bumrah could be rested from the second Test of the India vs England series. Head coach Gautam Gambhir had said previously that Bumrah will likely feature in three Tests in this series.
There is only a three-day gap between the second and third Tests, and an eight-day gap between the third and fourth Tests. With the third and fourth Tests being at Lord’s and Old Trafford, respectively, where Bumrah could create more trouble and even run through the opposition, India may want to play him in both those Tests and give him a rest from the second Test. Not to forget, he’s coming off a long IPL season.
What India missed at Headingley was a penetrative bowler, someone who could befuddle the plans and minds of the England batsmen. That someone could be Kuldeep Yadav, a mysterious left-arm wrist-spinner. Last year against England at home, Kuldeep took 19 wickets in four Tests, including a four-for and a five-for. He could pose a tough challenge to the aggressive England Bazballing batsmen.
Akash Deep In, Shardul Thakur Out
Shardul Thakur gets included in India’s XI in overseas Tests because he adds batting depth. But that was missing in Leeds, where he scored 1 and 4 and got out to expansive drives. His bowling returns were terrible: 0/38 in six overs and 2/51 in 10 overs. Neither was he penetrative, nor did he help in controlling the run flow.
Gambhir admitted, “That’s the only way you can win Test matches. You can score 4,000 runs, but there are no guarantees you’ll win a Test. But if you take 20 wickets, more often than not, you’ll end up winning.”
In that case, in the India vs England 2nd Test, the visitors could opt for a better wicket-taking option than Thakur in Akash Deep, who can swing the ball and also hit the ball at a good length to target the top of the stumps. Deep was impressive in Australia but didn’t have many wickets to show.
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