Not Nitish Reddy; Kuldeep Yadav Over Shardul Thakur in India's Playing XI For 2nd Test at Edgbaston? Here's Why

England vs India: India allrounder Shardul Thakur smashed a century in the intrasquad game and that meant he was in the playing XI for the Leeds Test. Expectations were high from him as it was not his first tour of England. But, he did not live upto expectations with the bat. With the bat, he notched up scores of 1 and 4 in his two outings at Headingley. 

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With the ball, he was better. He picked up two wickets in the fourth innings after going wicketless in the first. In fact, his two wickets of consecutive deliveries on the final day at Headingley gave hope to the side. 

Should Thakur be Dropped? 

Yes, without a doubt - Thakur should not play at Edgbaston. He is in the side for his bowling as much as he is for his batting. One of the biggest reasons why India lost at Headingley was the collapse of their lower-order. Thakur not getting runs with the bat hurt India. Now, if the side wants to replace Thakur - Nitish Kumar Reddy would be the first choice as he too is an all-rounder. And this change would be like-for-like. 

Why Kuldeep For Edgbaston? 

It is no secret that Edgbaston offers some help for spinners. If there is spin, Kuldeep can extract some purchase. Also, it is well-known that English batters are not too comfortable against quality wrist-spin. Kuldeep could turn out to be India's X-factor. 

Also, Kuldeep as compared to Thakur can give Shubman Gill more overs - that would be essential. 

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It would now be interesting to see if Gautam Gambhir and Gill decide to play Kuldeep at Edgbaston with the side already trailing in the five-match series.