India commenced their England tour with an early setback, losing the first Test match at Headingley by 5 wickets. Despite centuries from Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, missed opportunities with the bat in the lower-order batting, sloppy fielding, and ineffective bowling cost them the game. With the victory, England has taken a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Shubman Gill’s side now faces tough decisions ahead of the second Test at Edgbaston, starting July 2. Here are three players who may be dropped:

1. Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur had a poor day with both bat and ball. He got out for 1 and 4 in his two innings, to almost similar dismissals in the slips. With the ball, he took 0/38 in 6 overs and 2/51 in 10, conceding runs at more than 5 an over on aggregate. With his poor performances and India having the option to replace him with Nitish Kumar Reddy, Thakur might be dropped from the next game.

2. Ravindra Jadeja

The experienced all-rounder could not impose himself in Leeds. He was out for 11 and 25* and did not deliver any concrete breakthroughs, taking just 1/79 off 22 overs in the game. With the lack of turn from the pitch and his batting performance average, doubts surround his place in English conditions. India may opt to play a specialist batsman or a true pacer instead.

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3. Jasprit Bumrah (Possible Rest)

Bumrah was India's top bowler in the first Test, taking 5/66 in the first innings and 2/40 in the second. But with only a three-day break between the second and third Tests at Lord's, India may opt to leave him rested at Edgbaston. It is of key importance that his workload is managed, particularly given his injury record and his value to the team.