No Bumrah; Thakur Out, Gill To Bring Nitish Reddy? India's Probable XI For 2nd Test Vs ENG

IND to take on ENG in 2nd Test at Edgbaston [Source: AP]

After a crushing loss in the Headingley Test, India are gearing up to face England in the second match of the ongoing series. Despite remarkable performances from Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, Team India suffered a heavy defeat, failing to defend a huge score in the fourth innings. 

Thus, the Shubman Gill-led outfit will be desperate to bounce back when it takes the field in the second Test at Edgbaston. As they prepare to take on the Englishmen, let’s analyse and find out their probable combination for this match. 

Toss-Up Between Nair, Sai Sudharsan; Reddy To Get In?

India took the gamble of ignoring Nitish Kumar Reddy and including two specialist batters- Karun Nair and B Sai Sudharsan- in their playing XI at Headingley. 

While Nair and Sudharsan collectively managed 50 runs across both innings in Leeds, India missed an extra pacer amidst the underwhelming returns from Siraj, Prasidh and Shardul Thakur. 

It will make more sense if the Indian think tank picks only one between Karun Nair and B Sai Sudharsan as the number three batter, with captain Shubman Gill sticking to his number four position. 

Thus, they can make room for seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who can not only contribute handy runs to the total but also roll his arms for a some crucial overs of medium pace. 

Reddy was one of India's most impressive performers in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, amassing 298 runs and scalping five wickets. 

Edgbaston's Pitch Demands Kuldeep's Inclusion

(Kuldeep's stats in away Tests)

Edgbaston is one of those venues which offer genuine assistance to spin bowlers. Since January 2015, the spinners have bagged 20.13 per cent of the total wickets at the venue. Also, with heatwave prevailing in England, the track is expected to deteriorate and bring spinners into play. 

Thus, unless a green deck is dished out, India might consider bringing Kuldeep Yadav into their playing XI. In such a scenario, Shardul Thakur might miss out, as he was the one who failed miserably with the ball at Headingley. 

Arshdeep Frontrunner To Replace Bumrah?

Ace Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah could miss the second Test, with India managing his workload to ensure he doesn't get exhausted during the hectic five-match series. If Bumrah misses out, Arshdeep Singh should be preferred over Akash Deep as his replacement. 

Mohammed Siraj, who averaged 23 with the new ball in 2021 and 2022 collectively, has conceded 42 runs for a wicket in the first 20 overs this year. Thus, the inclusion of Arshdeep, who can swing the new ball up front, can empower India with a potent new-ball bowler. 

Meanwhile, despite conceding more than six runs an over at Headingley, Prasidh Krishna might retain his place. Edgbaston's relatively placid deck could force India to trust Krishna's extra pace and hit-the-deck bowling over Akash Deep's gentle medium pace. 

India's Probable XI For 2nd Test vs England

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair/B Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna

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