ENG vs IND 2nd Test, Toss and Playing XI update: India will bat first at Edgbaston

Team India, with Shubman Gill as their captain, is here in Edgbaston with the target to level the series. England will be more confident after winning the first match of the series by chasing a 371-run target. 

As per the weather forecast, a cloudy sky over the Edgbaston stadium and a temperature around 15°C, but no rain so far. There is some grass over the wicket. The team bowling first will definitely look to clinch some wickets with the duke ball. Fast bowlers can get swings and extra bounce from the track. The pitch will gradually become flat as the game progresses, and by Day 2 and Day 3, the batsman can get some opportunity to pile up runs. In the last couple of days, if rain does not come to join the party, spinners can get some chances to turn the ball. Traditionally, the wicket of Birmingham is not known as the spinner's paradise. After winning the first Test, chasing 371, the host did not make any changes in their playing combination for the second of the five-match series. Chris Woakes will lead the bowling department of England, supported by Josh Tongue and Brydon and Shoaib Bashir as the lone specialist spinner. On the other side, India made multiple changes including Akash Deep in place of Jasprit Bumrah.  

Here, the toss can be recognized as the crucial factor, as out of 56 tests, 29 were won by the first batting team and 12 went to the second batting team. India has lost seven matches out of eight matches in Birmingham, and one ended in a draw. 

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Former batting coach of team India, Sanjay Bangar's advice for team India: "It's very important not to drop catches. It makes the job of the bowling department that much tougher. But here I would say that this is also a fresh step forward for India. And wherever Yashasvi actually fields—basically, gully is a position in cricket that is a very, very specialized position.'

The Toss:

England won the toss and elected to bowl first. 

Team line-up 

England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir. 

India XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.