India vs England 2nd Test, Day 1 – Will India’s Bowling Step Up Without Bumrah as Stokes Opts to Bowl?

July 02, 2025: England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bowl first against Shubman Gill’s India on Day 1 of the second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham. With India trailing 0-1 in the five-match Test series, the visitors are looking to bounce back strongly after their painful loss at the same venue two years ago.

With Jasprit Bumrah rested for workload management, Mohammed Siraj leads a reshuffled Indian pace attack. India have opted for a three-all-rounder strategy, including Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Nitish Kumar Reddy, in hopes of deepening the batting and balancing the bowling in Bumrah’s absence.

Despite calls for a more aggressive bowling line-up, Kuldeep Yadav remains benched, and the selection raises eyebrows about India’s ability to claim all 20 wickets—especially on a relatively flat English pitch.

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Meanwhile, England go unchanged, continuing with their Bazball momentum and eyeing another dominant performance.

Playing XIs:

India:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

England:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (w), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir

Where to Watch IND vs ENG 2nd Test Live:

• Live Streaming: Available on JioCinema and Sony LIV
• Live Broadcast: Sony Sports Network

Stay tuned for live score updates, full scorecard, and real-time commentary as India take on England in this crucial second Test match.

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