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There were three big changes made to the Indian team for the second Test against England at Edgbaston. Firstly, Akash Deep was brought in for Jasprit Bumrah, who was shockingly rested for the crucial encounter. Both Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy were also given a spot in the playing XI while Sai Sudharsan and Shardul Thakur were benched.
Moody wasn't impressed with India's playing XI for second Test
However, these changes didn't sit well with former Australia cricketer Tom Moody, who labelled India's playing XI as 'baffling' and also questioned their call of resting Bumrah for such an important game.
"India’s selection for this test is baffling. No Bumrah is one thing, but to only have 5 specialist batsmen is a gamble. The fixation on all-rounders who are there to offer depth with bat and ball has never worked. Specialists are always going to offer more over a test," Moody wrote on X.
Though India have managed to strengthen their batting order even more by bringing in both Sundar and Reddy, their bowling department has gotten significently weaker due to the exclusion of Bumrah. It remains to be seen if these changes will pay-off or will go on to completely backfire for the Men in Blue. It will also be a monumental feat if Shubman Gill & Co. manage to win in Birmingham as the Indian team haven't recorded a single Test victory at the venue in the seven matches that they have so far played there.
Meanwhile, England had taken a 1-0 lead in the ongoing series by winning the first Test at Headingley by five wickets. The Indian bowling contingent disappointed big time as the hosts went on to chase down the target of 371 rather comfortably on Day 5. Ben Duckett played a stunning knock of 149 while Zak Crawley also played a gritty inning of 65 as the Three Lions began their new World Test Championship cycle on a positive note.
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