ENG vs IND 2025: Mohammed Siraj spotted working on batting skills ahead of second Test

Mohammed Siraj's extended net session with the bat has sparked a whole lot of buzz on social media during India's first training session since the five-wicket loss to England in the first Test a few days back. This comes after a lower-middle and tail-end debacle across both innings of the visitors' innings proved to be costly for the Shubman Gill-led side in Headingley.

Siraj, who was batting under the sharp eye of batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak, was spotted fine-tuning his defensive abilities. Siraj was snapped practicing ducking under short deliveries, leaving balls outside the line of the off stump, and playing the forward defensive shot with soft hands. Siraj's extensive focus on batting may be a step towards a more resolute approach taken by the management.  

The other pacers from the first Test, Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna, were absent from the training session. India's bottom six crumbled for a miserly 65 runs across both innings. Head coach, Gautam Gambhir, has emphasised the importance of every run time and again. It seems as if the management has decided to incorporate a new system in which batting would be a non-negotiable for bowlers too.

As far as the bowling lineup for India for the second Test is concerned, there are expected to be a few changes made. Bumrah is reported to be rested for the game to manage his workload. Shardul Thakur might not find his place in the XI after lackluster outings with bat and ball. Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh might be in with a chance to be factored in the mix.

The second game of the series will be played at Edgbaston. The match is scheduled to get underway on Wednesday, July 2, at 3:30 pm (IST). Historically speaking, Birmingham hasn't been a ground India have liked to play on. They have not won a single Test out of the seven they have played there.