‘Gambhir Era Not Holding Back’ – Social Media Goes Berserk After Exclusion of Star Player In India Playing XI for ENG vs IND 2nd Test

The English team, leading the five-match Test series by 1-0, won the toss and decided to bowl first on a pitch expected to assist early seam movement at Edgbaston. India made a few changes to their playing XI going into the second Test of the five-match series. The likes of Sai Sudharsan and Kuldeep Yadav have not been added, while Jasprit Bumrah is also missing owing to workload management. The captain, Shubman Gill, and coach Gautam Gambhir are being called out by cricket pundits and fans.

Sudharsan made his Test debut during the first Test against England in Leeds, where he failed to make an impact with the bat. He got out on a duck and then made 30 in the second innings. The 23-year-old had a poor debut, and since this is a must-win affair, the management opted for a reshuffle.

The Bengal-based pacer Akash Deep has been included in India’s playing XI to replace the star pacer, Bumrah. Alongside Sudharsan, Shardul Thakur is also dropped. The likes of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar have also been added to the XI to increase batting depth and add bowling options.

Social Media Lashes Out on Gautam Gambhir For Leaving Out Sai Sudharsan, Kuldeep Yadav

Among the changes, what has grabbed the spotlight the most is the exclusion of young Sai Sudharsan and Kuldeep Yadav. Many believe that the young left-hander should have been included in the playing XI. Further, to strengthen the bowling lineup, especially in Bumrah’s absence, Kuldeep Yadav should’ve been a no-brainer choice. The audience on X (formerly Twitter) has castigated the Indian team management, especially head coach Gautam Gambhir, after he made drastic changes to the playing XI.

-Sai Sudharsan dropped for no reason
-Kuldeep is yet to get a game

Gambhir era not holding back 🥵 pic.twitter.com/SVYXj1dPkd
— TukTuk Academy (@TukTuk_Academy) July 2, 2025

Dropping Sai Sudharsan after just one game—especially when it's a debut or a return after a long break—feels harsh.
Every player deserves at least 2 to 3 consistent chances to settle in and prove themselves.

A single game should never define a career.#SaiSudharsan… pic.twitter.com/CTrkpKeQox
— MR . AK (@anandhumanoj666) July 2, 2025

Why give a Test debut to Sai Sudharsan if he was going to be dropped after 1 match?? It's not like He is injured. pic.twitter.com/LlbdXBzTTJ
— Aditya Saha (@Adityakrsaha) July 2, 2025

India have two of the greatest, most unique wicket-taking geniuses in the world in their squad. Both are fit and neither is playing.
— Karthik Krishnaswamy (@the_kk) July 2, 2025

Baffling!

Building a Test XI like a T20 team. This is not a format where you stack up all-rounders for safety. You have proper batters and proper bowlers with an all-rounder in the middle. This is a very defensive approach. If your top 6 can’t get you runs, last four won’t do…
— Kanav Bali (@Concussion__Sub) July 2, 2025

Nah Shubman, you can’t have it both ways — first say that taking 20 wickets is the top priority, and then turn around and say you want batting depth when asked about Kuldeep.
— Sparsh Telang (@_cricketsparsh) July 2, 2025

After the retirements of Rohit, Virat, and Ashwin, a key question for the new India era – and the main skill needed from management – is how they blood youngsters into the Test team.

Anyway, 23 year old Sai Sudharsan has been dropped after one Test, where he batted first drop
— Ben Jones (@benjonescricket) July 2, 2025

“We’ll also drop our promising debutant batsman after giving him just the one test match, thanks.” https://t.co/tVIKwtFSNP
— Dweplea (@dweplea) July 2, 2025

Commentator Gambhir would've torn apart Coach Gambhir if Sai was dropped after giving him only one game
— arfan (@Im__Arfan) July 2, 2025

Earlier, India lost the first Test as the hosts managed to chase down 371 on the last day in Leeds. The likes of Gill, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Yashasvi Jaiswal scored tons. But the bowling lineup struggled apart from Bumrah, who scalped five wickets in the first innings. Openers Zak Crawley (65) and Ben Duckett (149) starred with their willows in the second innings, helping England chase down the huge total. Joe Root also chipped in with a brilliant fifty alongside Jamie Smith, who made an unbeaten 44 runs.

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ENG vs IND Playing XI For 2nd Test

England (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.

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 Krishna.

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