ENG vs IND 2025, 2nd Test: England name unchanged XI for second Test, Jofra Archer misses out
Jofra Archer will have to wait a little longer to make his comeback in England's red-ball lineup as the ECB named an unchanged XI for the second Test in the high-voltage Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Jofra Archer will have to wait a little longer to make his comeback in England's red-ball lineup as the ECB named an unchanged XI for the second Test in the high-voltage Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, which gets underway on Wednesday, July 1, at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
The Three Lions opted for continuity as they stuck to the same playing XI, which helped them take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series against India. Ben Stokes and Co. defeated Shubman Gill's men by five wickets at Headingley, Leeds, chasing down a challenging 371-run target in the fourth innings.
Archer was added to the squad after he made a commendable return to first-class cricket with Essex. According to reports, the right-arm seamer missed England's training session on Monday, June 30, due to a family emergency.
England's bowling lineup, especially the pace attack, was under the scanner ahead of the series, as Chris Woakes was returning from an injury, while the likes of Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Sam Cook are short on experience. The latter couldn't make it to the playing XI as Carse, Tongue, and Woakes played as the three specialist seamers.
Tongue was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with match figures of 7/158. Carse bagged one wicket in the first innings and three in the second. Meanwhile, Woakes wasn't at his best, picking up a solitary wicket after bowling 43 overs across two innings.
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Meanwhile, all eyes will be on Ben Duckett as far as the batting department is concerned. The opening batter was the Player of the Match in the first Test, scoring 62 in the first innings and 149 in the second. The likes of Ollie Pope, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, and Jamie Smith also scored important runs to help England register a memorable win.
India would look to come back strongly in the series, but beating a well-settled England side won't be an easy task for Shubman and Co.
England playing XI for second Test at Edgbaston: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.
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