The star India pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s absence from India’s playing XI for the second Test at Edgbaston has been a major talking point. The legendary pacer was expected to play a major role as India looks to bounce back in the five-match series against the home side. Despite the high stakes, the right-hand pacer was not named in the lineup. Bumrah's omission is particularly notable given his solid showing in the first Test at Headingley, where he bowled 43.4 overs and picked up a five-wicket haul in the first innings, though he went wicketless in the second.

Bumrah's fitness and injury history became apparent factors before the decision could be made. Head coach Gautam Gambhir had previously stated that Bumrah would play only three Tests during the England tour, and it is clear that the management is being cautious regarding Bumrah's workload. The team's assistant coach, Ryan ten Doeschate, had suggested that they may be seeing how Bumrah was going to feel on the day of the Test. The decision was made not to risk fielding him in the Edgbaston game, and Akash Deep was included as a replacement for him to provide a different fresh pace option without overworking the experienced speedster. 

See Also: Champions League T20 To return in 2026 after previous edition's success: Know all about it

Aside from Bumrah's absence, the team management made a couple of other changes. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar came into the playing XI in place of Shardul Thakur and Sai Sudharsan. Sundar provides spin variation and batting depth, and Reddy brings a fresh approach. These selections appear to be a part of India's attempt to mix and match combinations in order to find the right mix and put them into a position where things begin to turn around for India after losing the first Test, 0-1.