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Updated 30 June 2025 at 11:17 IST

Karun Nair vs Sai Sudharsan: Gautam Gambhir's Big Selection Call For Edgbaston Test Likely To Decide India's Fate In The IND vs ENG Series

The second Test match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series starts on July 2, 2025. The second match of the ongoing IND vs ENG series will be played in Edgbaston

Reported by: Jishu Bhattacharya
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Sai Sudharsan, Gautam Gambhir and Karun Nair
Sai Sudharsan, Gautam Gambhir and Karun Nair | Image: AP

IND vs ENG: India losing a winnable overseas Test match is something that we have seen before. Just months ago, the Indian team conceded the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia after a decade, and now it seems that the demons have come out of the closet to haunt the Indian Test team again. There is a stark difference between the team that travelled to Australia and the team that is currently playing the five-match Test series against England.

Toss Up Between Karun Nair And Sai Sudharsan In Edgbaston

There are a lot of questions being asked regarding Jasprit Bumrah, his fitness, and his availability for the Edgbaston game. It was always made very clear that Jasprit Bumrah will play only three Test matches out of the five on the England tour. The Indian team management will have a lot to decide, starting with the team selection and the combination right.

Shardul Thakur was underused with the ball in the first innings of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series opener, and a lot of questions about his utility with both the bat and the ball have been asked. India has another big issue to address, and that is directly related to Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair. Sudharsan debuted for the Indian Team in the first Test match, but he couldn't manage to score more than 30 runs across both the innings of the match. Karun Nair, on the other hand, was made to play at number six, a position that he is largely unfamiliar with, as far as Test cricket is concerned.

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Nair too couldn't score many runs despite four different India batters getting five centuries. Gambhir might be tempted to open one spot up and slot in Nitish Reddy, who can deliver both with the bat and the ball, if Bumrah doesn't play.

  • IND's Probable XI Without Jasprit Bumrah And Sai Sudharsan: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk/vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna
  • IND's Probable XI Without Jasprit Bumrah And Karun Nair: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk/vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna.

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Edgbaston Test Awaits Team India

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin, three pillars of the Indian Test team, have already bid farewell to the longest format of the game. India is bereft of the experience that all the three stalwarts have, but they now have only one option left with them - to move forward and put their best foot forward towards becoming the best travelling Test team.

India has lost three consecutive overseas Test matches (2 vs Australia and 1 vs England), and they need to quickly turn things around to stun Ben Stokes' England in the second match.

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Published 30 June 2025 at 11:17 IST