The second Test of the five-match series between England and India is currently underway at Edgbaston in Birmingham. After a disappointing defeat in the series opener, Team India—led by Shubman Gill—will be eager to bounce back and level the series. The visitors have addressed several concerns from the previous match by making notable changes to their playing XI.
India have made three changes for the Edgbaston Test. One of the most significant moves is resting pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. Replacing him is Akash Deep, who returns to the Test side for the first time since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25.
Another change sees Nitish Kumar Reddy coming into the side in place of Shardul Thakur. The Mumbai all-rounder struggled with both bat and ball in the first Test and faced considerable criticism for his underwhelming performance.
Additionally, debutant Sai Sudharsan has been dropped after just one game. In his place, all-rounder Washington Sundar has been included, with team management looking to take advantage of a pitch expected to assist spin.
Speaking at the toss, Shubman Gill explained the reasoning behind the changes. “We would’ve bowled first too. If there’s anything in the pitch, it’s usually on Day 1. We’ve made three changes—Reddy, Washi, and Akash Deep come in. Bumrah is being rested purely to manage his workload.”
He added: “With the third Test at Lord’s, where we expect the conditions to suit him more, we felt it was best to keep him fresh. We were tempted to include Kuldeep Yadav, but after seeing how our lower order struggled with the bat last time, we decided to bolster our batting depth.”
India playing XI for the second Test against England in a neat table format:
| Position | Player Name | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yashasvi Jaiswal | Batsman |
| 2 | KL Rahul | Batsman |
| 3 | Karun Nair | Batsman |
| 4 | Shubman Gill (c) | Captain / Batsman |
| 5 | Rishabh Pant (w) | Wicketkeeper |
| 6 | Nitish Kumar Reddy | All-rounder |
| 7 | Ravindra Jadeja | All-rounder |
| 8 | Washington Sundar | All-rounder |
| 9 | Akash Deep | Bowler |
| 10 | Mohammed Siraj | Bowler |
| 11 | Prasidh Krishna | Bowler |