IThe XI for India's second test against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham is dominated by T20 cricket. India was left with only three specialist bowlers and five designated hitters after two all-rounders took the place of a specialist batter and a pacer that could hit a little bit. Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of India, has been using the formula of having hitters up to number 8 and six bowling choices. In white-ball cricket, notably in T20s, it has been successful for him. Gambhir's love for all-rounders has yielded results, whether in international cricket or the IPL. However, in Test cricket, the same approach has backfired. At home, it took place against New Zealand. Later in Australia, and if India doesn't get the result they want in Edgbaston, England, that list will include England.

Despite having the upper hand for a longer portion of the game, India pushed the panic button after selecting a predictable XI for the series opener in Birmingham, where they were defeated by five wickets. They made three alterations. One of them was obviously caused by how Jasprit Bumrah's workload was managed. Gambhir's 'fixation' with all-rounders is the reason behind the other two.

Former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody described India's choice as "puzzling" and said that in Test cricket, packing the team with all-rounders has never been effective.

"The choice of India for this trial is perplexing. Having just five professional batters is a risk, even without Bumrah. The obsession with versatile players who are there to provide depth with bat and ball has never succeeded. According to Moody's X post, "Specialists are always going to provide more than a test."

In the third alteration, which was again unexpected, India substituted Jasprit Bumrah with pacer Akash Deep and Nitish Kumar Reddy, a seaming all-rounder, for Shardul Thakur. Sai Suidharsan, who batted at No. 3 in his debut Test in Headingley, was replaced by Washington Sundar.

In the first innings, Sudharsan was caught down the leg side for a duck, but he performed admirably in the second. Subramanium Badrinath, a former Indian batsman, claimed it was a cruel decision to dump a young player after only one Test.

"Dropping a youngster high on confidence doesn't feel right," Badrinath said on X, adding that "Sai scored a crucial 30 and was involved in an important partnership in the second innings."

In many respects, Sundar's choice was a bizarre one. Following the help Ravindra Jadeja received on Day 5 of the first Test from the rough that was created on the left-hander's off stump on a calm Headingley surface, the chorus to include Kuldeep Yadav as the lead spinner intensified, particularly given the circumstances at Birmingham, the location of the second Test. Since the introduction of Bazball cricket, Edgbaston has consistently produced some of the flattest pitches, which tend to provide something for the spinner by the conclusion of the five-day match.

However, India chose Washington Sundar as their second spin-bowling option instead of Kuldeep. According to captain Shubman Gill, the decision was made because of the strength of the batting lineup.

Read Also: Sunil Gavaskar Slams Kuldeep Yadav Omission, Points Out Gautam Gambhir’s Error: ‘Reddy and Sundar Aren’t the Solution’

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