India search for the equaliser on Birmingham’s electric stage

India Search for Equaliser on Birmingham's Electric Stage

India faces a dilemma: rest Jasprit Bumrah or double down in a match they can't afford to lose? The visitors believe they have an attack capable of taking 20 wickets, even without their talisman. However, it will demand bold choices and resisting reactions to collapses with selection conservatism.

England will stick to what's worked, with the same XI and trust in their batting to deliver over two innings on pitches that don't break down. India must decide whether to meet that with boldness of their own.

Match Details

• When: July 2-6, 2025, 15:30 IST, 11:00 Local
• Where: Edgbaston, Birmingham
• What to expect: Big first-innings runs, with spin potentially playing a key role. Light rain is forecasted on Days 1, 4, and 5, but it shouldn't be disruptive.

Teams

• England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
• India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar/Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akash Deep/Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Key Stats

• India have not won a Test match at Edgbaston in eight previous attempts (D1, L7).
• Joe Root has 102 50-plus scores in Tests, one short of equalling Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting.
• Ravindra Jadeja averages 78 with the ball in his last four Tests and has taken only 5 wickets in 110 overs.

Quotes

• "I think everyone was very tired that week. It was a big week, we were in the field and bowled for another five days. I used the three days after that game to offer absolutely nothing to the world. I was a shadow of myself, but it goes to show how much a five-day test match takes out of you." – Ben Stokes
• "In the last match, if we had an extra spinner in the fourth innings, the game could have been better. There were some patches in the wicket that could have been exploited. Whenever Jaddu bhai [Jadeja] was bowling, we felt that chances were being created." – Shubman Gill