Here are some talking points from the second England vs India Test match that concluded on Sunday.
India sealed a dominant 336-run win over England at Edgbaston on Sunday, squaring the five-match series 1-1. Led by Shubman Gill, the visitors bounced back strongly after a five-wicket defeat in the Leeds opener. The ENG vs IND 2nd Test highlights package will feature some pertinent questions and strong solutions for India from the Edgbaston Test match.
India were without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested for workload management. Despite his absence, the bowling attack stepped up impressively in the second innings, bowling England out for 271 to wrap up a massive win.
India wrapped up a historic 337-run win on Day 5 of the second Test at Edgbaston to level the five-match series 1-1. Despite rain delays and a massive target of 608, the visitors needed just over two sessions to dismiss England.
Here we wrap up the ENG vs IND 2nd Test highlights with some key pointers for the remainder of the series.
Critics have time and again questioned Shubman Gill over his lack of consistency in scoring runs, but it now seems like as though the Punjab batter has rediscovered his form yet again.
Shubman Gill had aggregated just 93 runs from five matches during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia earlier this year, but the ongoing series against England has been a refreshing start for him from a new position ,previously owned by the God and the King. But he is the Prince of Indian cricket now, and he ascended to the title with an exemplary series that saw him compile the second-most runs in a Test match by anyone ever.
Three centuries in four innings against England across two Tests is no mean feat, and it’s also no mean feat that Shubman Gill has had to fill in the shoes of Virat Kohli at the No.4 spot. It’s safe to say that Shubman Gill, who has batted with patience and composure, has made the No.4 batting spot his own.
With 585 runs from four innings at an average of 146.25, Shubman Gill has shown no signs of slowing down and in fact, he is only gaining confidence with every knock he plays. The ENG vs IND 2nd Test highlights will feature some of the most outrageous stroke-making cricket in England has witnessed.
While Shubman Gill has all but secured his No.4 spot in Tests, the same cannot be said about India’s No.3 batting lineup. A key part of the ENG vs IND 2nd Test highlights was the failure of Karun Nair to own the No.3 spot.
Sai Sudharsan was tested at the No.3 spot in the first Test, and endured a forgettable outing that included a duck in the first innings.
The Tamil Nadu cricketer was dropped from the second Test and Karun Nair was promoted to the No.3 spot at Edgbaston. However, Karun aggregated just 57 runs from two innings at Edgbaston.
The safest bet for India would have been not to leave Sai Sudharsan out of the playing XI for the second Test against England. Sure, he may not have had a memorable outing in Leeds, but constant chopping and changing of the batting lineup would only hurt India’s momentum.
Karun Nair’s spot in the India playing XI might already be in danger after having endured a disappointing outing in Leeds, where he scored just 20 runs in the second innings after being dismissed in the first.
If not Sai Sudharsan or Karun Nair, India can also look at Abhimanyu Easwaran or even Dhruv Jurel as No.3 batters. Abhimanyu Easwaran, thanks to his excellent first-class record, could be the favourite for that spot but that would once again mean chopping and changing of the batting lineup.
India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s spot in the India playing XI could be very well under scrutiny. Sure, Ravindra Jadeja did score a half-century in India’s second innings of the second Test, but his bowling has been pretty underwhelming. He finished the first Test with figures of 0/68 and 1/104 and also went wicketless in the first innings of the second Test.
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Should India drop Ravindra Jadeja from the third Test against England, then Kuldeep Yadav’s inclusion in the playing XI is a no-brainer. While picking Kuldeep Yadav over Ravindra Jadeja will hurt India’s batting depth, India’s bowling attack cannot be compromised. This is exactly why Kuldeep Yadav over Ravindra Jadeja makes sense at this point.
Akash Deep stepped up to the occasion in the second Test against England. He picked four wickets in England’s first innings, and also excelled during England’s run chase.
Simply put, Akash Deep was India’s game-changer during England’s run chase as he made sure that the hosts don’t score runs for fun like they often do.
Thanks to the Bengal pacer’s splendid display, this has also helped India identify the best pace attack in the ongoing series— that of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep, which we might very well see at Lord’s as India aim to take a lead in the series.
This also means that Prasidh Krishna, who went wicketless in Birmingham, might lose his spot unless India ponder a four-pronged attack. The only way Prasidh will get a spot in the playing XI are in the Tests which Jasprit Bumrah won’t play.
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