India’s Defensive Strategy Revealed: Changes for 2nd Test Against England

After the first test loss against England by five wickets, where the Indian National Cricket Team failed to take all 20 wickets, the Indians reverted to a very defensive mode, much like they had 11 years before.

In the post-match interview on July 1st, Shubman Gill stated that they would aim for 20 wickets. However, during the toss, when asked why Kuldeep and Bumrah were not in the side, he explained that Bumrah had rested due to his workload. They were tempted to play Kuldeep, but due to tail-end collapses, they opted for Sundar and Nitish Rana instead.

Bumrah was given the whole eight days to rest after the first test, and as it was an important test match where they should be looking for an aggressive approach, the Head Coach and the captain chose to be defensive.

Why Washington Sundar was Picked For the 2nd Test?

"This becomes a very important Test match" 👀

Ravi Shastri on the impact of Jasprit Bumrah missing the second Test 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/df2Y7sXWDA
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 2, 2025

Sundar is playing in the Playing XI and that too on the Edgbaston pitch where there is nothing for the Spinners. They have chosen to play orthodox defensive spinners simply because they are afraid that their tail will collapse once again.

From being one of the most dangerous test teams to becoming one of the most defensive teams, the Indian management has made it clear that favoritism is something that will persist in Indian cricket. Additionally, the PR Media of the head coach, Gambhir, and others, such as Gill, will likely perform better than the players themselves.

It is going to be challenging task for the team India side to win the 2nd test match without Bumrah and a defensive mindset because they given the rest to him when he had eight day gap but the crucial second test because if they go down 2-0 then there is no way they can win all three remaining test matches.