Edgbaston is set to host the second Test between England and India, starting on July 2. The match starts at 3:30 PM IST with India eyeing to draw level at a venue where they have never won a Test match in almost 60 years.
Indian skipper Shubman Gill in the pre-match press conference has played down this stat, saying that this new Indian team can win in any condition and against any opposition. Trailing in the series, Gill needs to walk the talk in the second Test.
Talking about England, they have announced their XI for the second Test, keeping Jofra Archer out of the XI. Ben Stokes is happy to have him back in the squad, but the England management is looking in no hurry to play him. Archer is likely to make a comeback in the third Test at Lord's.
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ENG vs IND Edgbaston Pitch Report
The pitch bears a greenish look at the start of the Test match. It will definitely help the seamers in the opening day and will gradually dry out in the next four days. Edgbaston is among the least spin-friendly venues in England this decade, with spinners averaging over 44 per wicket here. Interestingly, 23 Tests have been won by the teams bowling first at this venue and seeing how England chased down a mammoth score at Headingley, India would like to field first if they win the toss. The average first innings score is just over 300 runs at Edgbaston, with the score coming down with every passing innings.
ENG vs IND Weather Report
Rain is expected to play spoilsport as per Accuweather. There is an 82 percent chance of rain on day 1. Chances of rain is just 5 percent on day two. Day 3 is expected to remain dry. However, the conditions will be dark and cloudy. Day 4 will again see rain as high as 66 percent and a cloud cover of almost 98 percent. Day 5, which is July 6, also has a rain threat of 66 percent and a cloud cover of almost 78 percent. Though it is summer in England but rain is expected over the next week, richly set to spoil the second Test.
ENG vs IND Squads
India: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep
England Playing XI: Ben Stokes (c), Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Shoaib Bashir
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