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England vs India | 2nd Test | Edgbaston | July 02-06 | Pre-Match Discussion

BouncerGuy

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India head into the second Test at Edgbaston on July 2 trailing 0–1 in the five-match series after a five-wicket loss at Headingley. Despite posting 471 and 364 in their two innings, their bowlers couldn’t defend the target as England chased down 373 with ease, thanks to Ben Duckett’s century.

This Test is crucial for Shubman Gill’s side—not just to level the series, but to show they can respond under pressure.

England, meanwhile, look settled. Ben Stokes’ leadership, a deep batting lineup, and home advantage at Edgbaston—where they’ve traditionally done well—make them favorites. But can they maintain the momentum?
 
India have to play Arshdeep & Kuldeep irrespective of the conditions. Enough of the trundlers Prasidh, Siraj & Shardul.

Failashvi Jaiswal should also be dropped. Nitish Reddy should play.
 
India head into the second Test at Edgbaston on July 2 trailing 0–1 in the five-match series after a five-wicket loss at Headingley. Despite posting 471 and 364 in their two innings, their bowlers couldn’t defend the target as England chased down 373 with ease, thanks to Ben Duckett’s century.

This Test is crucial for Shubman Gill’s side—not just to level the series, but to show they can respond under pressure.

England, meanwhile, look settled. Ben Stokes’ leadership, a deep batting lineup, and home advantage at Edgbaston—where they’ve traditionally done well—make them favorites. But can they maintain the momentum?
Bumrah's avg is now 19.60 up from 19.4, rising heavily due to that beating. This is why people should have held their horses.

As he ages he will defo finish at 21-22 and will be behind mcgrath and marshall due not getting enough wickets in comparison

People don't understand how brutally difficult it is to pick up 500+ wickets at a consistent eco of 20-21.

It essentially means you've never had a bad test series throughout your cricketing lifespan. Yes you've had bad sessions and bad games but not bad series.

Injur prone chuckra will drop massively.

Root avg rising to 51, Bumrah avg rising to 20, Jaiswal drops 5 catches after I call him overrated, England butcher india with Ben duckett proving why he's the best SENA opener in the world.

Beautiful beautiful test game. May Allah give me an even sweeter feeling in test no 2.
 
India need to bat 7 including Pant. 4 quickies were Bumrah needs to play regardless of how is the GOAT playing every other test and only performing in the first innings otherwise it’s a harsh reality of 5-0.
 
A county match is currently going on in Birmingham, som vs war, if this pitch gives any indication of whats going to happen then its gonna be another flattish pitch with a bit more help than Leeds.

My lineup for 2nd test will be

Jaiswal
Rahul
Sai
Gill
Pant
Reddy
Jadeja
Rana
Akashdeep
Kuldeep
Bumrah/Siraj
 
A county match is currently going on in Birmingham, som vs war, if this pitch gives any indication of whats going to happen then its gonna be another flattish pitch with a bit more help than Leeds.

My lineup for 2nd test will be

Jaiswal
Rahul
Sai
Gill
Pant
Reddy
Jadeja
Rana
Akashdeep
Kuldeep
Bumrah/Siraj
Why are you playing 2 spinners this is not asia?
 
Why are you playing 2 spinners this is not asia?
1) Jaiswal
2) Rahul
3) Sai
4) Gill
5) Pant

^^ This top 5 is fixed for India. It aint going anywhere.

6) Reddy is defo an improvement over Karun Nair
7) Jadeja (Issue is india doesnt have a player to replace him. They are forced to carry this dead weight)
8) Rana (a much better player then Thakur who is the weakest link in the squad)
9) Akashdeep (Anyone is > Krishna. Kirshna is bloody awful)

10) Kuldeep (They don't have anyone else, thats the issue, Kuldeep is still a better spinner in such conditons then jadeja, he has bowled well in england before especially 2019. But baboon bcci didnt take any replacement for jadeja, their tail is already weak as is, not having jadeja essentially means india is finished after 6)

11) Bumrah( Subject to availability, cant play all tests)
 
A county match is currently going on in Birmingham, som vs war, if this pitch gives any indication of whats going to happen then its gonna be another flattish pitch with a bit more help than Leeds.

My lineup for 2nd test will be


Rana
Akashdeep
Kuldeep
Bumrah/Siraj
Akashdeep is having niggle i think as per cricinfo. Arshdeep in place of him .rest of the team is fine.
 
1) Jaiswal
2) Rahul
3) Sai
4) Gill
5) Pant

^^ This top 5 is fixed for India. It aint going anywhere.

6) Reddy is defo an improvement over Karun Nair
7) Jadeja (Issue is india doesnt have a player to replace him. They are forced to carry this dead weight)
8) Rana (a much better player then Thakur who is the weakest link in the squad)
9) Akashdeep (Anyone is > Krishna. Kirshna is bloody awful)

10) Kuldeep (They don't have anyone else, thats the issue, Kuldeep is still a better spinner in such conditons then jadeja, he has bowled well in england before especially 2019. But baboon bcci didnt take any replacement for jadeja, their tail is already weak as is, not having jadeja essentially means india is finished after 6)

11) Bumrah( Subject to availability, cant play all tests)
Great points made as usual love your in depth analysis bro keep it up.
 
Wow this game is in a week? That is wayy too early, I would just rest Bumrah for the next match and give the others a go....
 
Stokes credits Duckett and Crawley for first Test victory

England captain Ben Stokes praised Ben Duckett for his stunning fourth-innings knock, saying, “Duckett was unbelievable. The pressure of the fourth innings is tough… that partnership between Zak [Crawley] and Duckett was just incredible.”

Stokes also highlighted Zak Crawley’s contribution, noting, “Duckett has got the big score that contributed towards us winning this game, but I thought the way Crawley was able to stay composed and stay in the moment was also very important to this win.”

Speaking about his own decision to bowl first, Stokes explained, “You don’t know what’s going to happen before a ball has been bowled... We backed ourselves to win that toss and bowl first.”

Reflecting on the dramatic win, Stokes added, “It was an awesome Test match to be part of… Pretty special start to the series.”

Ben Duckett, who was named Player of the Match for his 149-run masterclass, reflected humbly on his approach, saying, “We didn’t overthink things... Limiting Bumrah damage was massive.”

Stuart Broad, analysing the victory on Sky Sports, commented on England’s mindset, stating, “There will be a lot of celebrations but there would have been a belief all day that they could get that job done… Duckett was absolutely outstanding.”

He added on the team’s consistency, “They needed 370 runs to win a Test match on a day-five pitch and did it quite calmly… England just scrapped and fought hard for four days, and then showed their best today.”
Source: https://www.skysports.com/cricket/n...ts-ton-as-hosts-make-more-magic-at-headingley
 
India needs to play Kuldeep, no point in playing ''pacers'' who are not able to trouble.
Test matches are difficult and no many bowlers can bowl with pace that is required.
 
Jaiswal
KL
Sai
Gill
Pant
Reddy
Jadeja
Kuldeep
Arshdeep
Sundar
Rana

Anyway we are doing badly what else can go wrong

Gill needs to be more assertive with the team. Instead of horrible Gambhir I wish MSD/Yuvaraj was coach
 
It would be a stupid decision, Wood and Archer must be brought back
====
Jofra Archer should not play in England's second Test against India at Edgbaston, says former captain Michael Vaughan

Archer played in his first first-class match for four years this week as he seeks to prove his fitness for a return to the Test arena, where he has not featured since 2021.

England selector Luke Wright said earlier this month that if Archer comes through the four-day game for Sussex he could be available for the second Test, which starts on 2 July.

"The good thing is that Jofra is back in the equation - but I'd like to see him play another four-day game," said Vaughan, who is now a BBC Test Match Special pundit.

"He's not played the longer format for four years so why, on the back of one game for Sussex against Durham, would you rush him back?

"We know the intensity at Test-match level is so different to county cricket. Let him play another four-day game - I would go with the same line-up, as long as the bowlers are fine and there are no niggles."

The 30-year-old finished with figures of 1-32 from 18 overs in Durham's first innings, his sole wicket being that of opener Emilio Gay, but Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace also urged England to "be careful" with Archer.

"He bowled with good pace, good accuracy and his body's in good shape which is fantastic," Farbrace told BBC 5 Sports Extra.

"We would all love to see Jofra playing for England because he makes England a much better team, and he would give them a much better chance of winning the big series.

"But let's look after him, let's be careful with him. The conversation we'd had [with England] was that he would play in this game, and then we'd reassess.

"All I will report back to them is that he bowled nicely, he looks like he's in good rhythm, he's bowled 18 overs and it's up to them whether they pick him."

Archer emerged as one of England's most exciting prospects in 2019 when he bowled the decisive super over in the home World Cup win, before taking 22 wickets at 20.27 across four Tests in the Ashes series that followed.

But he has since been plagued by injury - an elbow issue first suffered in 2020 has required several surgeries and he also had a stress fracture in his back in 2022.

As a result, Archer's frequent attempts to return to international cricket have been stop-start.

He was expected to play in the white-ball series against West Indies at the beginning of this summer but hurt his thumb while playing in the Indian Premier League.

Sussex start another County Championship game against Warwickshire on Sunday, which would overlap with the second Test - and Vaughan has backed the bowlers who played in the first Test to be selected again.

"Josh Tongue, the hoover, let him do that again at Edgbaston," Vaughan said, referring to the Nottinghamshire seamer's ability to knock over the lower order as he did in both innings at Headingley.

"Chris Woakes needs more of a run out, and then Ben Stokes and Brydon Carse have been fantastic. They're 1-0 up, played some great cricket, so go with the same again."

Source: BBC
 
The 2nd #ENGvIND Test begins at Edgbaston, Birmingham from 2 July.

It is one of the three English grounds Team India has never won (played 8, lost 7, drawn 1) after Manchester & Southampton.

Lost: 1967, 1974, 1979, 1996, 2011, 2018, 2022

Drawn: 1986
 
England batting was also gained by 10 plus dropped catches.

India need to play Arshdeep and Kuldeep. If bumrah is not fit , he should not play.

You need to try and get bowlers who can get you 20 wickets. Unless you get 20 wickets you cannot win even if you score 1000 runs.
 
The result of the first test could have been different...

250 runs - total cost of India's dropped catches at Headingley
 

Ravi Shastri Sends Blunt Dressing Room Message To Gautam Gambhir Over Fielding Fiasco​


The first Test between India and England in Leeds turned out to be a classical tutorial of how not to field in international cricket. A number of players dropped multiple catches as India slipped to a 5-wicket defeat against the hosts in the opening match of the 5-match series. The butterfingers in the field turned out to be a decisive factor behind the tourists' defeat, prompting former India head coach Ravi Shastri to send a direct message to the incumbent Gautam Gambhir and his coaching staff.

Shastri didn't mince words after witnessing Team India put on one of its worst displays in the field, with Yashasvi Jaiswal dropping as many as 4 catches.

"This will be a tough pill for India to swallow. You don't get in positions like this very often, and blow it from there. They had a chance to take England out of the contest and dictate terms. They have to learn and they need more bottle from the tail, for them to be stubborn and put a price tag on their wicket," Shastri said on Sky Sports.

"I think (there is) a big role of the coaching staff. Take the positives out of the contest. As a captain, he has done more than what can be asked of him. He got a hundred; there were five hundreds scored in the game. If anything, you want the basics to be done better. There are things that are out of his control.

India captain Shubman Gill also courted criticism for some of his tactical calls. While these are early days for Gill as a captain of India's Test team, Shastri doesn't think the skipper could've done anything to prevent those catches from being dropped.

"Dropping catches is not in his control. That's where the team as a unit can work harder and get better. Similarly, when you come to bat, you've got to put a price tag on your wicket. You can't come out and blow a situation where you can get about 550-600 by just being timid and meek.

"These are the areas where you've got to be hard at times as a coach, really hard in that dressing room. There are certain things where you tick off a few guys. But, there were a lot of positives in this Test,"
said Shastri.

Source: NDTV
 
England need to snap out of complacency, they need Archer and Wood asap...batting is fine but need to teach Crawley to attack more rather than relying on Duckett
 
Archer is too injury prone and hasnt played red ball in years. Wood is too old and injury prone now, may not bowl at his best anymore.
Atkinson is the main seamer, he should come back. And maybe bring back Josh Hull again, tall left arm with the x factor.
 
This was the fifth time a team has successfully chased 300 or more in the fourth innings at Headingley. No other ground besides Kingsmead in Durban has witnessed more than two such successful chases.
 
Jaiswal
Rahul
Sai
Gill
Pant(wk)
Nair
Jadeja
Harshit Rana
Arshdeep
Bumrah
kuldeep

Arshdeep is the only hope for India as he brings another angle being a left armer. In addition, Kuldeep should play as well. Jadeja will continue as he always makes a comeback after a bad game. Harshit Rana comes in for Thakur, he can bat a bit but not better than thakur. He is same as Prasidh as both will leak runs but he can bat slightly better.

Give Siraj a test away from playing XI so he can come hard in 3rd test and lead the attack in absence of Bumrah.
 
Jaiswal
Rahul
Sai
Gill
Pant(wk)
Nair
Jadeja
Harshit Rana
Arshdeep
Bumrah
kuldeep

Arshdeep is the only hope for India as he brings another angle being a left armer. In addition, Kuldeep should play as well. Jadeja will continue as he always makes a comeback after a bad game. Harshit Rana comes in for Thakur, he can bat a bit but not better than thakur. He is same as Prasidh as both will leak runs but he can bat slightly better.

Give Siraj a test away from playing XI so he can come hard in 3rd test and lead the attack in absence of Bumrah.
^ okay, it seems some news floating that Harshit Rana is released from the squad so in that case, Siraj or Prasidh will continue in the next test too. I would still like to drop one of them and play Arshdeep in next test. Also, Kuldeep comes in for Thakur.
 
^ okay, it seems some news floating that Harshit Rana is released from the squad so in that case, Siraj or Prasidh will continue in the next test too. I would still like to drop one of them and play Arshdeep in next test. Also, Kuldeep comes in for Thakur.
Source bro?if akashdeep is fit , it's fine.arshdeep and Kuldeep should be in
 
I wouldn't be surprised if England get a big win in 2nd Test. Maybe even an innings victory.

I expect Indian players to be demoralized after the thrashing they got on Day 5 (1st Test). :inti
 
You want to drop jaiswal after a hundred !
His 100 was awful on a road pitch where everyone was acoring for fun. He cant be dropped as india doesnt have any other option to open from the squad but he isn't as good as people portray him to be
 
His 100 was awful on a road pitch where everyone was acoring for fun. He cant be dropped as india doesnt have any other option to open from the squad but he isn't as good as people portray him to be
Easwaran is an opener, travelling with the Indian team for last 2-3 years, but Dropwal will play as he is young.
 
His 100 was awful on a road pitch where everyone was acoring for fun. He cant be dropped as india doesnt have any other option to open from the squad but he isn't as good as people portray him to be
Jaiswal got a 100 on a same pitch where Brooks scored 99 and 0. Jaiswal is really good, he averages 58 in Test cricket for a reason and that is after playing both home and away unlike Brooks who cashed in mostly at home and NZ or for that matter the headbutt who averages a laughable 30 away from home.
 
Jaiswal got a 100 on a same pitch where Brooks scored 99 and 0. Jaiswal is really good, he averages 58 in Test cricket for a reason and that is after playing both home and away unlike Brooks who cashed in mostly at home and NZ or for that matter the headbutt who averages a laughable 30 away from home.
Jaiswal avg 52 in cricket. It fell from 58 and will keep falling.

Brooks is a better batsmen in test cricket.
 
The England Men’s selection panel has added Sussex fast bowler Jofra Archer to the squad for the Rothesay second Test match against India at Edgbaston, starting on Wednesday 2 July 2025.

England Men's Test Squad:

Ben Stokes (Durham) – Captain

Jofra Archer (Sussex)

Shoaib Bashir (Somerset)

Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire)

Harry Brook (Yorkshire)

Brydon Carse (Durham)

Sam Cook (Essex)

Zak Crawley (Kent)

Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire)

Jamie Overton (Surrey)

Ollie Pope (Surrey)

Joe Root (Yorkshire)

Jamie Smith (Surrey)

Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire)

Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

The 30-year-old right-arm quick returns to the England Test set-up for the first time since February 2021 and will be looking to add to his 13 Test caps at Edgbaston next week.
 
The England Men’s selection panel has added Sussex fast bowler Jofra Archer to the squad for the Rothesay second Test match against India at Edgbaston, starting on Wednesday 2 July 2025.

England Men's Test Squad:

Ben Stokes (Durham) – Captain

Jofra Archer (Sussex)

Shoaib Bashir (Somerset)

Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire)

Harry Brook (Yorkshire)

Brydon Carse (Durham)

Sam Cook (Essex)

Zak Crawley (Kent)

Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire)

Jamie Overton (Surrey)

Ollie Pope (Surrey)

Joe Root (Yorkshire)

Jamie Smith (Surrey)

Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire)

Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

The 30-year-old right-arm quick returns to the England Test set-up for the first time since February 2021 and will be looking to add to his 13 Test caps at Edgbaston next week.
Tbf archer isnt what he once was but he is a much better bowler then the current crop.

Things are about to get tougher for India.
 
His 100 was awful on a road pitch where everyone was acoring for fun. He cant be dropped as india doesnt have any other option to open from the squad but he isn't as good as people portray him to be
He is the best format batsman for India right now. Unless he gets out for low scores for 4 - 5 innings , he is not likely to be dropped.
 
Jaiswal got a 100 on a same pitch where Brooks scored 99 and 0. Jaiswal is really good, he averages 58 in Test cricket for a reason and that is after playing both home and away unlike Brooks who cashed in mostly at home and NZ or for that matter the headbutt who averages a laughable 30 away from home.

jaiswal right now is averaging around 53 after 38 innings .

If he fails a couple of innings , that average will fall below 50 for first time in his career. He already has 5 hundreds.
 
Dropping few catches does not mean someone will be dropped.

the other option for India is Eashwaran , I do not think Indian management want to play him. Long time he has been part of squad , never getting a chance.
But he needs to work on his fielding & behavior. Comes across as a selfish & self centered person who only cares for his batting. Won't be long before he finds himself warming benches in domestic cricket.
 
The England Men’s selection panel has added Sussex fast bowler Jofra Archer to the squad for the Rothesay second Test match against India at Edgbaston, starting on Wednesday 2 July 2025.

England Men's Test Squad:

Ben Stokes (Durham) – Captain

Jofra Archer (Sussex)

Shoaib Bashir (Somerset)

Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire)

Harry Brook (Yorkshire)

Brydon Carse (Durham)

Sam Cook (Essex)

Zak Crawley (Kent)

Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire)

Jamie Overton (Surrey)

Ollie Pope (Surrey)

Joe Root (Yorkshire)

Jamie Smith (Surrey)

Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire)

Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

The 30-year-old right-arm quick returns to the England Test set-up for the first time since February 2021 and will be looking to add to his 13 Test caps at Edgbaston next week.
No players from Lancashire..?

I recall in the past the squad had at least 2x players (Atherton and Fairbrother)
 
His 100 was awful on a road pitch where everyone was acoring for fun. He cant be dropped as india doesnt have any other option to open from the squad but he isn't as good as people portray him to be
Awful century, lol :yk

You need to watch Sam Konstas bat to realise what awful actually means, Shamar Joseph broke the hack in two.
 
I would rest Bumrah, can't having him playing when Indian fielders are Pakistaning with so many dropped catches...
Not only are Indian fielders copying Pakistani fielders, Bumrah is also pulling a leaf out of Shoaib Akhtar’s book by faking injuries and pretending that he is putting his body through hell whenever he is struggling to take wickets. His acting on day 5 of the first Test was comical.

Now Mr. Sissy is going to rest in the 2nd Test when India are 1-0 down. This is a 31 year old with only 46 Tests under his belt. How shameful and embarrassing.
 
Nair is just a domestic bully. Better to play someone else. India have picked way too many openers in the squad.
 
Jaiswal
KL Rahul
Sai Sudarshan
Gill
Rishab Pant
Dhruv Jurel
Nitish Reddy
Washington Sundar
Kuldeep
Arshdeep
Bumrah

Prasidh, Shardul, Karun, Siraj out.
Arshdeep, Nitish, Jurel and Kuldeep in.

India can bat till No.9 and Kuldeep can block well.
In bowling, Bumrah, Arshdeep and Kuldeep are wicket takers.
Sundar and Nitish will be fillers. Washi can nip out a couple of wickets. He is pretty decent even in English conditions. Nitish will bowl 5-10 overs a day giving break to main bowlers.

If India fields the above team, we will win 60-40.
 
India needs to move on rom Prasidh. Not sure what this guy is doing in the team. He looks like a nothing bowler. They should try akashdeep instead, and if arshdeep is fit, he should play as well.
 
India needs to move on rom Prasidh. Not sure what this guy is doing in the team. He looks like a nothing bowler. They should try akashdeep instead, and if arshdeep is fit, he should play as well.

Prasidh is way too expensive. He goes for a lot of runs generally.

As an anti-India person, I don't mind Prasidh as he is beneficial for the opponent. But, I am baffled why India pick him over someone like Arshdeep. Arshdeep is a better bowler than him.

:inti
 
India needs to move on rom Prasidh. Not sure what this guy is doing in the team. He looks like a nothing bowler. They should try akashdeep instead, and if arshdeep is fit, he should play as well.
Anyone who resembles Shan Masood is destined for Failure
 
I love how everyone makes fun of Shan Masood yet India managed to produce a bootleg bowling version :virat
 
Bumrah already sitting out a game as a senior player, when India are 1-0 down away from home is ridiculous. It’s only the 2nd Test!
 
Bumrah already sitting out a game as a senior player, when India are 1-0 down away from home is ridiculous. It’s only the 2nd Test!

Yeah. I am surprised. I thought he would play the first 3 Tests.

Looks like India have surrendered already. Reminds me of the 2011 series (which India lost 0-4).
 
Bumrah already sitting out a game as a senior player, when India are 1-0 down away from home is ridiculous. It’s only the 2nd Test!
Its not about Seniority but preserving bumrah as a player for next 2 to 3 years will be the priorityfor Indian team.Already Shane bond have written an article in cricinfo about load management for bumrah.Bond suggested he suffered from same injury at almost same age and one more injury at same spot will put bumrah out of cricket just like him.

 
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