The next Test will begin at the Edgbaston Stadium on July 2.
After the recent retirements of veteran Indian players, including Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Team India has started a new era under the leadership of Shubman Gill. However, the youngster faced a tough five-wicket defeat in his first assignment as the Test skipper, to kick off the five-match England vs India series. Following this loss, former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta has suggested some key changes ahead of the second Test in Birmingham.
“Obviously, you don’t want to make too many changes after the first game. But, this is a very young side, so you’ve got to get the combination right,” he opined while speaking to JioHotstar (via ESPN Cricinfo).
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Singapore beat Samoa by 52 runs
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Dusseldorf Blackcaps beat Bonn Blue Star by 50 runs
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VfB Gelsenkirchen beat Dusseldorf Blackcaps by 35 runs
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Uganda beat Nigeria by 77 runs (D/L) method
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United Arab Emirates beat Kenya by 40 runs
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New Zealand beat Zimbabwe by 8 wickets
The former batter felt that India should play Karun Nair at No. 3, in place of Sai Sudharsan, who made his Test debut in the first match in Leeds. He emphasised how this change could favour them with the inclusion of all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.
“Karun Nair has got most of his runs in first-class cricket and all at No. 3. Also, he batted for India A against Lions at No. 3. That opens up a scope for someone like Nitish at No. 6 who, if required, can give you a few overs of seam-up,” stressed the former player.
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Notably, coming in at No. 3, the debutant scored a 0 and 30, respectively, in the first match. Karun also couldn’t make the most of his chances in his comeback match after eight years, as he also managed to put up only 20 runs, following a duck in the first innings.
However, promoting him in the place of Sudharsan while including Reddy could benefit India in the second fixture against England. Previously, the youngster had put up a remarkable performance in his debut Test tour in Australia last year. He scored a total of 298 runs in five matches, including a spectacular 114-run knock in Melbourne, during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25.
India started the opening match of the tour well with three centurions in the first innings. A brilliant 147-run knock from the newly appointed skipper Gill, vice-captain Rishabh Pant’s 134 and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 101 powered them to 471. But a few dropped chances and the lack of efficiency in bowling, except the prime pacer Jasprit Bumrah, saw them gaining a mere six-run lead.
The second innings of India also had two centurions in the form of another opener KL Rahul and Pant. But no other batter could make an effective contribution to the total as newcomer Sudharsan’s 30 was the third-highest score of the innings. England easily chased the total of 364 to take an early 1-0 lead in the series.
However, the team would look to bounce back in the upcoming fixture to level the series before heading into the Lord’s. The match will commence at the Edgbaston Stadium, on July 2.
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Hong Kong beat Malaysia by 5 wickets