India Mulls Kuldeep Yadav Inclusion for Edgbaston Test Amidst Series Reassessment

India vs. England: Calls Grow for Kuldeep Yadav's Inclusion in Second Test

Following their defeat in the first Test, India is considering strategic changes to level the series against England 1-1. The second Test is set to begin at Edgbaston in Birmingham on July 2nd, sparking questions about team composition and strategy.

Kuldeep Yadav could be key for India in the second Test.

One major question revolves around the inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav. After being surprisingly left out of the first Test, there is growing support for his inclusion in the second, especially given the expected conditions in Birmingham, which are anticipated to favor spin bowlers.

Former India cricketer Sanjay Bangar emphasized the potential impact of Yadav's wrist spin. "The team will have to give some thought to how we can bring Kuldeep Yadav into the XI, because judging by the approach we saw from the England batters in the first Test, Kuldeep — who bowls wrist spin — could be effective. Historically, England’s batters haven’t played wrist spin particularly well. So that is definitely something worth considering," Bangar stated.

Subramaniam Badrinath, another former India batter, echoed this sentiment, suggesting the inclusion of both Kuldeep and pacer Arshdeep Singh. Badrinath proposed, "I think one change could be replacing Shardul — I’d definitely look to include a bowler. And maybe instead of Prasidh Krishna, I’d look to add some variety. So probably, my changes would be Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav coming into the XI. But then again, the final XI will depend on the conditions."

In addition to potential changes in the spin department, the management is also considering Jasprit Bumrah's workload. It has been indicated that Bumrah will only participate in three of the five Tests, due to workload management and his history of injuries. While Bumrah took a five-wicket haul in the first innings of the first Test, he went wicketless in the second.