Why are Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav Not Playing 2nd Test at Edgbaston?

The toss at Edgbaston brought a big surprise for Indian cricket fans as ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah was rested for the second Test against England. This decision came even though India’s bowling was criticised after their loss in the first Test at Headingley.

Another surprising move was to keep Kuldeep Yadav out of the playing XI for this Test match. The Men in Blue felt the need for a wrist-spinner in the last game as their fast bowlers weren't quite threatening, except Bumrah. However, Kuldeep couldn't make it to the Playing XI this time around as well.

Why is Jasprit Bumrah out of IND vs ENG 2nd Test?

Many expected Jasprit Bumrah to play in this crucial match. However, captain Shubman Gill explained the decision and claimed that the team is managing Bumrah’s workload. Gill further added that the third Test at Lord’s could be more helpful for fast bowlers. So, they plan to bring Bumrah back there.
It is to be noted that Jasprit Bumrah is injury-prone despite being India's best bowler. He played the first four Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy later last year and then got himself injured during the fifth Test. The injury kept him out of India's victorious Champions Trophy campaign and also the first four IPL games.

In Bumrah’s place, young fast bowler Akash Deep has been added to the playing XI for IND vs ENG 2nd Test. He will bowl alongside Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. Akash Deep has already played a few Tests for India and will have a lot of expectations for this match.

Why is Kuldeep Yadav out of IND vs ENG 2nd Test?

Another expected move was Kuldeep Yadav’s return to the Test side. Many former cricketers wanted him in the XI. However, the team has picked Washington Sundar instead. Sundar replaces Shardul Thakur in the playing XI.
Shubman Gill also stated that the team was tempted to play Kuldeep; however, after the lower-order failed in the last match, they wanted to add more batting depth. Notably, Sundar can bowl off-spin and also bat well down the order.
Apart from these changes, young batter Sai Sudharsan has been dropped from the Playing XI. He made his debut in the first Test but only scored 0 and 30. However, he has now replaced him with Nitish Kumar Reddy. Reddy is a seam-bowling all-rounder and brings balance to the side.

Karun Nair, who returned to the Test side after eight years, has been promoted to bat at No. 3. Nair scored 0 and 20 in the last match. He now gets another chance to prove himself in a new role.

India Bat First at Edgbaston

India won the toss and chose to bat first. The top order remains the same. KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant will look to repeat their strong performances. All four scored centuries in the first Test at Leeds. Gill said the pitch looks good for batting early on. He hopes the team can put up a strong total to start the match well.
The England team has named an unchanged playing XI. They won the first Test at Headingley and are sticking with the same squad. Captain Ben Stokes leads a confident side into the second match.