The Indian team management made bold yet puzzling decisions with three changes to the playing XI for the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, and debutant Sai Sudharsan were left out, making way for Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Washington Sundar.

However, the continued exclusion of Kuldeep Yadav raised quite a few eyebrows—especially among fans and former cricketers who expected the left-arm wrist-spinner to be drafted in given the conditions at Edgbaston. With Ravindra Jadeja struggling to make an impact in the series opener at Headingley, many felt Kuldeep’s inclusion was overdue.

But captain Shubman Gill, speaking at the toss, cited a desire to bolster the lower-middle order, hinting that batting depth took precedence over bowling variety. Washington Sundar, slotting in at No. 8, certainly provides balance, but the absence of Kuldeep meant India continued to rely on conventional bowling combinations on what appeared to be a dry and turning pitch.

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Former England captain Michael Vaughan didn’t mince words in his assessment. Speaking on Sony Sports Network, Vaughan labelled the decision to leave out Kuldeep as “playing it safe” and suggested that the wrist-spinner had the potential to take six or seven wickets on this surface.

“Not picking Kuldeep is a very cautious move. He’s the kind of bowler who could’ve ripped through a side here. You need 20 wickets to win, and the pitch looked tailor-made for a wrist-spinner. India have gone for safety over aggression,” Michael Vaughan remarked.

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He added that India’s problem in the first Test wasn’t the batting—it was the inability to take wickets at crucial junctures. “When you’re behind in a series, you don’t dig yourself out with safe selections. You fight back by taking calculated risks,” Michael Vaughan stated.

On the field, India put up a strong performance after England chose to bowl. Shubman Gill stole the spotlight with a sublime unbeaten 114, while Yashasvi Jaiswal added a fluent 87. India ended Day 1 on 310/5, with Jadeja unbeaten on 41 and the visitors eyeing a big first-innings total.