The second Test between India and England came with some jaw-dropping surprises at Edgbaston on Wednesday, with India deciding to rest key bowler Jasprit Bumrah. England won the toss and chose to bowl first under overcast conditions. The decision, made by captain Ben Stokes, aligns with traditional wisdom at Edgbaston, where early movement often benefits seamers.
In a notable move, India have rested Jasprit Bumrah to manage his workload ahead of the third Test at Lord’s. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Captain Shubman Gill confirmed the decision at the toss.
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Do you think resting Jasprit Bumrah was a wise decision by India?
“Would’ve bowled first as well. If there’s anything in the wicket, it’s in the first day. Three changes – Reddy, Washi and Akash Deep come in. No Bumrah. Just to manage his workload. Third Test being at Lord’s, we think there’ll be more in that pitch so we’ll use him there. We were tempted to play Kuldeep but decided to add some depth to the batting,” said Bumrah.India made three changes to their playing XI: Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, and Akash Deep were brought in, strengthening both batting depth and all-round options.England, meanwhile, retained their winning combination, following their solid performance in the first Test. “We’re going to bowl. Overhead conditions favour it. Did consider everything (bringing Archer into the squad?). Very good team performance last week, we’re confident,” added Stokes. “You understand the conditions better as you go deeper into the Test. Brains and me and Baz are not three things you put together. Great run chase, great Test to be part of great start to the series. Last week is last week, need to concentrate on this week.”With the five-day contest set between July 2 and July 6, the series is finely poised. India aim to bounce back, while England look to press home their advantage in front of a home crowd.India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh KrishnaEngland (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
