Follow UsIndian head coach Gautam Gambhir and Test captain Shubman Gill have spoken repeatedly about building a bowling attack capable of taking 20 wickets. But their team selections in the first two Tests against England have told a very different story.
In the series opener at Headingley, India picked Shardul Thakur at No.8 — hoping he would contribute with both bat and ball. Instead, the 33-year-old bowled just 16 overs and managed only five runs across two innings. England chased down 371 with ease, taking a 1-0 lead in the series.
Soon after the defeat, reports emerged that Jasprit Bumrah might be rested for the second Test. It seemed like India would finally go all-in on bowling firepower and drop the idea of batting depth.
On the eve of the Edgbaston Test, Gill reinforced that belief: “Our first priority would always be on these kind of wickets, how we can get 20 wickets rather than playing that extra batter.”
Naturally, fans and experts expected India to field either four frontline pacers or bring in left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav, who boasts a terrific Test record. But when Gill announced the XI at the toss on July 2 (Wednesday), it felt like the team management had done a complete U-turn.
Not only was Kuldeep missing, but India also left out a fourth specialist pacer. Instead, they opted for three all-rounders — Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar — to deepen the batting.
With Bumrah rested, the pace attack will be led by Mohammed Siraj, alongside Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep — all of whom average over 30 with the ball in Tests. Prasidh and Akash average more than 35.
When asked about Kuldeep’s omission, Gill said: “We were tempted to play Kuldeep, but looking at the last match, our lower order didn’t do well, so decided to add some depth to the batting.”
The contrast between these two statements is like night and day.