ENG-IND 2nd Test Playing 11: England's XI announced; IND to play 2 spinners

England vs India 2nd Test Playing 11 news: Archer did not make it into the playing XI, as Stokes will lead the same set of players at Edgbaston

Like in the previous Test match, England have announced their playing 11 two days before the start of the second Test, which begins on July 2 at the Edgbaston cricket ground in Birmingham. Meanwhile, India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate suggested there is a strong chance that India will go with two spinners in their playing XI. 

Check India vs England 2nd Test Day 1 live score, full scorecard and match updates here

England Playing XI for the Second Test vs India in Birmingham

Speculation around England's playing XI intensified after pacer Jofra Archer was recalled to the Test squad following a four-year gap.

 

However, Archer did not make it into the playing XI, as Ben Stokes will lead the same set of players at Edgbaston.

 

Chris Woakes, Josh Tongue, and Brydon Carse are the three frontline pacers in England’s playing XI, while Shoaib Bashir is the only spinner in the side.

 

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

 

England lead the five-match Test series 1-0 after winning the first match by five wickets while chasing a target of 371 runs. 

 

Pretty sure two spinners will play in Birmingham: India assistant coach

  The Leeds pitch offered plenty of runs, and considering the hot weather, expectations are that the surface will again be good for batting, bringing spinners into play.

 

India missed the services of a second spinner in the series opener, and Doeschate said the team is likely to adjust its strategy for the game starting Wednesday.

 

Will India compromise on batting depth by playing Kuldeep ahead of Washington? Doeschate didn’t reveal much but came close to confirming that two spinners will feature in the playing XI.

 

"There is a very strong chance of playing two spinners. It’s just about which two we play. And that goes back to the previous question about juggling the batting depth. All three spinners are bowling very nicely.

 

"Washi’s batting very nicely. So it’s just about which combination we go with—an all-rounder spinner or the out-and-out spinner? And you have to play the bowling all-rounder again. So there are so many different variables.

 

"The wicket’s got 11 mm of grass on it at the moment—11 or 12 mm. But it’s quite grassy and patchy. It’s quite dry underneath. But there’s also rain forecast for Wednesday. So again, we’re trying to weigh up the two options in terms of how we want to approach it. But I’m pretty sure two spinners will play in this Test."