Ind vs Eng 2nd Test: Former England great questions Kuldeep Yadav snub

As the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy began at Edgbaston on Wednesday, July 3, India made some bold changes—but perhaps not bold enough for some observers. Despite widespread calls for Kuldeep Yadav's inclusion following Ravindra Jadeja’s underwhelming performance in the series opener, the wrist-spinner was once again left out of the starting XI.

To manage Jasprit Bumrah’s workload, the team rested the pace spearhead, while Shardul Thakur and Sai Sudharsan were also dropped. Their replacements—Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Washington Sundar—brought additional depth to the pace attack and lower-order batting.

Captain Shubman Gill explained at the toss that Washington Sundar was brought in to bolster the lower middle order, providing more batting stability at No. 8.

Meanwhile, former England captain Michael Vaughan criticized the decision to leave out Kuldeep. He argued that the dry Edgbaston surface would have favored a wrist-spinner and called India’s move “playing it safe.”

Must Read: Ind vs Eng 2nd Test: Former India great highlights India’s selection blunder

“Not picking Kuldeep is a safe choice. He’s the kind of bowler who could easily take 6 or 7 wickets in a Test match,” Vaughan said. 

“You need 20 wickets to win. On a dry pitch like this, surely a leg-spinner should be playing. India have gone for a conservative selection," he added.