 "Jasprit Bumrah and B Sai Sudharsan are likely to sit out of the second Test against England at Edgbaston. Reuters/AP")
After an enthralling series opener in Leeds where the first Test between India and England boiled down to the final hour of the final day at Headingley , the two teams are set to lock horns once again, with the second Test set to get underway a few hours from now.
While cricket fans will be hoping for another humdinger of a contest between the two giants of Test cricket at Birmingham’s Edgbaston, which will be hosting the second of five Tests starting Wednesday, the Indian cricket team and their fans will be hoping to end up on the right side of the result this time.
Ahead of toss on the opening day of the second Test, we take a look at some of the team changes Shubman Gill is likely to announce at the toss:
Bumrah out, Akash in
Both Jasprit Bumrah as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir had already discussed the former’s workload during the tour of England, wherein he would not be playing more than three Tests keeping his recent back injury in mind.
Given the short turnaround between the second and third Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s respectively, Bumrah was reportedly rested for the second and is being kept fresh for the third.
With Bumrah reportedly out, India were left with Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh, the latter yet to make his Test debut, or play Kuldeep Yadav as the lone front-line spinner. According to a report on The Indian Express, Akash is set to be named as Bumrah’s replacement for the second Test, meaning Arshdeep might have to wait a bit longer for his maiden Test cap.
Thakur out, Reddy in
This was a no-brainer for the Indian team after the events of the Headingley Test, where Thakur not only failed to make a meaningful contribution with the bat, he also leaked runs at over five an over in both innings and did not make an impact with the ball until his double strike in the afternoon session on the final day.
Nitish Reddy was consistent with the bat in the tour of Australia, scoring a century in the fourth Test in Melbourne, and the team management will be hoping his presence lends more solidity to the lower middle order and prevents another batting collapse . And the Express report mentions he’s set to be included in place of Thakur at Edgbaston, despite the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin coming to the latter’s defence after the defeat at Headingley.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsSai Sudharsan out, Nair at No 3
This one might sound harsh for young Sai Sudharsan, but the young opener from Tamil Nadu is set to be dropped after making his debut at Headingley, where he was dismissed for a four-ball duck in the first innings before departing for 30 in the second.
The report, however, adds that it’s Karun Nair who’s set to move up the order to the position previously occupied by current skipper Shubman Gill – and Cheteshwar Pujara and Rahul Dravid before him.
Nair’s reported move frees up a slot in the middle order – where the team management is reportedly drafting in Washington Sundar. Which means India will have spin-bowling all-rounders Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja as well as Reddy between the top five and the tail-enders – which skipper Gill and coach Gambhir hopes translates to meaningful partnerships down the order.