• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Selection Takeaways From Indias First Practice Session Ahead Of 2Nd Test Vs England

Selection Takeaways From India's First Practice Session Ahead Of 2nd Test vs England

Aashay Chopade

India's practice session (Source:@RevSportzGlobal/X.com)India's practice session (Source:@RevSportzGlobal/X.com)

The five-match Test series between India and England has not started on a bright note for the visitors. The young team under Shubman Gill did decently with the bat but could not defend the target of 371 in the final innings, as they lost the game by five wickets.

The second Test will be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham, commencing on July 2. Ahead of that Test, the Indian team management has plenty of difficult selection decisions to make and here are some of the takeaways from the first practice session in Birmingham.

Jasprit Bumrah Likely To Rest In 2nd Test

One of the important talking points of Team India's first practice session is the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna. It has been reported by Sahil Malhotra from TOI, and there are speculations that Jasprit Bumrah will be rested for the second Test.

Even before the start of the series, it was confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah would not play all the games. However, with India losing the first game, there were doubts whether he would change his mind, but now the first practice session has indicated that he would indeed keep himself fresh for the third Test at the Lord's Cricket Ground.

Akash Deep And Arshdeep Singh Might Play In Birmingham

One of India's biggest problems in the opening Test was the performance of their pacers apart from Jasprit Bumrah. It has opened up the possibility of a change in the bowling attack, and thus, both Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh could play the second Test.

If Bumrah doesn't play, one spot naturally opens up, and with Prasidh Krishna going for plenty of runs in the first game, India might drop him as well. Revsportz has also reported that both Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep were bowling in nets, and with Prasidh absent from the session, it could be a sign of change.

India Could Opt For Batting All-Rounder Nitish Reddy Over Shardul Thakur

Revsportz, in their video of India's practice session, also showed Nitish Kumar Reddy bowling with Shardul Thakur. Thus, the management seems keen to make him bowl as much as possible, and if he does satisfy them, he could get a game over Shardul because of his superior batting skills.

Shardul Thakur could not make an impact with the bat in the first Test and was not trusted with the ball by Shubman Gill either. He did take two wickets, but if India opt for a genuine extra-bowler, then a batting all-rounder like Nitish Reddy could get preference over Shardul Thakur.

India Likely To Play Two Spinners At Edgbaston

India went with only one spinner in the opening Test, but as reported by Revsportz, they might go with two in the second game, with the pitch expected to provide a bit more assistance to the spinners.

If the management decides to go with a wicket-taking frontline spinner, then Kuldeep could get a look in. However, Washington Sundar will provide depth in the batting department and it could go in his favour.