India vs England: Jasprit Bumrah rested as the visitors make three changes for Edgbaston Test

After coursing through multiple contrasting updates in the lead-up to the second Test, it has finally been confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah will be rested in Birmingham. It was informed before the start of the India vs England series that the Indian pace spearhead would play only three out of the five Tests. However, as the series opened with a 5-wicket defeat for the visitors, India's temptation to play Bumrah in Birmingham soared. The team captain, Shubman Gill, updated on the eve of the second India vs England Test that Jasprit Bumrah was available for selection but avoided confirming the final decision. Now, as the action has kicked off in the Edgbaston Test, the India Playing XI features three changes, with Akash Deep replacing Bumrah in the combination.

India have not picked their premier speedster Jasprit Bumrah for the Edgbaston Test against England. 🏏

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Akash Deep replaces Jasprit Bumrah in the India Playing XI for the Edgbaston Test

The third fixture of the series is scheduled at Lord's. While India has the chance to level the series at Edgbaston, Bumrah is a finite resource and needs to be handled with utmost care. England, who have called back Jofra Archer into the squad, are also waiting to reach Lord's before adding the speedster into the Playing XI. The urge to play Bumrah in the Edgbaston Test amplified after India's bowling attack was noted in the opening Test at Headingley. Barring the pacer who scalped a five-wicket haul in the opening innings, none of the bowlers appeared sharp. Without Bumrah, the Indian attack looked absolutely impactless.

India lost the opening fixture by 5 wickets despite the batters piling 5 centuries and over 800 runs in Leeds. The happenings indicated a predicament for the team that braced for resting one of the few working prospects of the group. In the lead-up to the second Test, Bumrah joined the practice sessions but remained inconsistent in his appearances, as the reports from nets failed to give a clear indication of his availability.

Meanwhile, India's assistant coach, Ryan ten Doeschate, in an interaction with the media, confirmed that the pacer is available for selection but a final decision is awaited. Shubman Gill, in the press conference scheduled a day after Doeschate's, repeated the same, explaining that while Bumrah is available, the team is looking for a way to mint a group that can take 20 wickets. However, the captain failed to confirm if that plan is centred around the main ace.

However, at the toss in Birmingham, Shubman Gill confirmed that Bumrah has been rested for the Edgbaston Test. Meanwhile, Akash Deep eclipsed Arshdeep Singh in the race to claim the spot in the India Playing XI for the fixture. Unlike Arshdeep, who is awaiting his Test debut, Akash Deep has played seven Tests for India, with his last exploit noted in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Other than Bumrah, pace all-rounder Shardul Thakur and the young batter Sai Sudharsan have been dropped from the combination for the Birmingham fixture. Shardul Thakur disappointed across both departments at Headingley, bowling 16 overs and scalping two wickets. While the anticipation was for India to call Kuldeep Yadav at Edgbaston, the team has gone for the likes of Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy in a bid to extract ideal batting support from the tail-end, something strikingly missing at Headingley.

Coming to Birmingham, India has the aim to claim their first-ever Test victory at the venue. Moreover, the second India vs England Test is a chance for the visitors to level the series before the equation turns awry in the five-match series. Sudharsan's exit means that Karun Nair would get to play at three. The seasoned pick batted at 6 in the opening Test but his returns remained meek. Meanwhile, the hosts have shown confidence in their winning combination as the England Playing XI remains unchanged. The English captain, Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bowl first in Birmingham.

India Playing XI for the Edgbaston Test

KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna