ENG vs IND, 2025: England vs India, 2nd Test Match Preview

India lock horns with England in the second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham, starting on Wednesday, July 2. While Shubman Gill and Co. would want to exact revenge after failing to defend a 371-run target in the first Test, Ben Stokes' men would be looking to double their lead in the five-match series.

In the first Test, India's fielding was abysmal as Yashasvi Jaiswal alone dropped four catches. The batting department looked in good touch, especially the likes of captain Shubman, KL Rahul, Yashasvi, and Rishabh Pant, who scored centuries in both innings. However, Sai Sudharsan's Test debut and Karun Nair's international comeback didn't go the way the two batters would have envisioned.

Another problem was India's lower-order batting. The all-rounders and the tailenders failed to show resistance with the bat. On the other hand, the Indian bowlers had to toil hard to dismiss England's lower order.

England will be confident about their chances as each of their top five batters scored at least one half-century in the first Test at Headingley, Leeds. Wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith also played well in both innings. There were a lot of doubts raised about England's inexperienced bowling attack, but the likes of Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue did reasonably well.

Jasprit Bumrah is unlikely to play this Test match as the management is monitoring his workload diligently. Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar Reddy fielded at slips during the practice session on Monday, June 30, and it seems that he could come into the side in place of Shardul Thakur. Kuldeep Yadav also bowled intensely during the same practice session and he is likely to come into the lineup. However, it is not clear who will replace in the side. According to various reports, Akash Deep could come into the attack in place of Bumrah.

There's no suspense as far as England's playing XI is concerned. The Three Lions have retained the same XI that played the first Test. This delays Jofra Archer's wait for a Test comeback. All eyes will be on Ben Duckett, who won the Player of the Match award in the first Test. England fans will want him to carry his good form through the series.

Match Details

Edgbaston, Birmingham Pitch Report

The weather during the five days of the Test match is expected to be on the warmer side and this could make the surface dry. While pacers will find help in the first couple of days, spinner will come into play as the game goes on. Batting last could be difficult in this Test match.

ENG vs IND Head-to-Head Record in Tests:

ENG vs IND Probable Playing XIs

England: (Announced)

Playing XI:

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.

India:

Predicted XI:

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja/Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur/Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.