At Edgbaston in Birmingham, England won the toss and elected to bowl first in the second Test against India. The match began on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.
India made three changes to their lineup, with Jasprit Bumrah rested as part of workload management. Akash Deep, Washington Sundar, and Nitish Kumar Reddy have been included in the team for this crucial match. It was speculated that Bumrah would only participate in three of the five test matches. There was also discussion as to whether Kuldeep Yadav or Washington Sundar would be selected as the second spinner. While Kuldeep offers strong wicket-taking ability with his wrist-spin, Sundar provides balance with his batting and controlled bowling. Nitish Kumar Reddy replaced Shardul Thakur, who didn't have a significant impact in the previous test.
England also made changes, with three new players added to their roster in Birmingham. Jofra Archer, although present in the dressing room, is not playing in this test.
India trails 0-1 in the five-match series after losing the first Test in Leeds by five wickets. England successfully chased down a target of 371 runs in the fourth innings of the first test. India has never won a Test match at Edgbaston, having lost seven and drawn one of their eight attempts at the venue. England has won two of their last three matches at Edgbaston. This includes their highest-ever successful run chase in Tests of 378 against India in July 2022. The team batting second has won the last four matches at this venue.