भारत ब्र밍हैम के विद्युत स्टेज पर समानांतर करने की तलाश में

India search for the equaliser on Birmingham's electric stage

India's coaching group believes they have an attack capable of taking 20 wickets, even without Bumrah. That may be true, but it will demand bold choices. As Headingley revealed, England's bowling isn't markedly better. India will simply have to back their top-seven to deliver, and resist reactions to collapses with selection conservatism.

Those two collapses weren't the sole reason India lost in Leeds despite appearing to be in control at different stages. But they were emblematic of a wider dip in intensity that new captain Shubman Gill must guard against. Test cricket demands sustained focus and consistency over long periods.

England, meanwhile, will stick to what's worked. Same XI, same trust in their batting to deliver over two innings on pitches that don't break down, and where pressure often flips sides. It's a risky ploy, but one that's worked often enough at home to erase any asterisk. Gill and Gambhir must decide whether to meet that with boldness of their own.

**When:**England vs India, 2nd Test, July 2-6 2025, 15:30 IST, 11:00 Local

**Where:**Edgbaston, Birmingham

What to expect: Birmingham has basked in sunshine in the lead-up, but the pitch tells a layered story. There was 11mm of grass two days out, yet the surface underneath is dry. Expect big first-innings runs – just like at Headingley and in most recent County game here earlier this month. Spin hasn't thrived here in the Bazball era (second-lowest strike rate), but off-spinners in general have bucked that trend: Nathan Lyon and Moeen Ali made an impact in the 2023 Ashes opener, and R Ashwin starred here in 2018. There's some light rain in the forecast on Days 1, 4 and 5, but nothing too disruptive.

Playing XI:

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