Leeds: England made history as they thumped the Indian test team by five wickets, chasing a record total of 371 runs. The hosts recorded their second-highest chase ever to earn a 1-0 lead in the ongoing test series. It was a clinical performance from Ben Stokes and his men, led by Ben Duckett, who set the tone for a chase.
Now these two sides will be facing each other in the second test, starting on July 02. Shubman Gill and his men have a week to look at the areas that they failed and try to address them before the second test.
The second game will be crucial for this team to stay alive in the series. Hence, we might see the team taking some bold decisions. There were a few players that had a horrible performance in Leeds and might not get the second chance. There are some other players waiting at the bench, and we will talk here about three players who can be dropped after a poor show in the first test.
IND vs ENG 2nd Test: Three Indian players who might be dropped from the second test at Edgbaston
1. Shardul Thakur
India had a choice to go with Nitish Kumar Reddy for the first test, who slammed a century in this debut series in Australia. But instead, they backed the experience of Shardul Thakur, but it didn't work. The 33-year-old had an unforgettable performance.
He batted in both innings, scoring 1 and 4. He was part of the two batting collapses that India had in either inning and got out in slips both times in identical fashion. Then with the ball, he was looking clueless. The pitch was brilliant to bat on throughout, and Thakur's pace was way easy for English batters.
He bowled six overs in the first innings and gave away 38 runs at an economy rate of 6.30. In the second innings, he did pick two wickets on successive balls but gave away 51 runs in ten overs. made. That shows that the captain didn't have trust in him, and we might not see Thakur in the second Test.
2. Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj has been one of the weaker links in India's bowling attack in recent times. Apart from a few odd good spells, he has not been at his best. He only took two wickets in the match, which came in the first innings, where he gave away 122 runs in 27 overs. However, he couldn't pick up a single wicket when India needed him in the second innings.
Though he bowled a few good spells and created chances, it didn't work. India have the option to bring in Arshdeep Singh, who gives India a left-arm swing option at the top. Siraj's consistent decline in form has certainly raised questions about his position. Hence, there are chances that he might be dropped for the second test.
3. Sai Sudharsan
Sai Sudharsan finished the IPL 2025 as the top scorer and won the Orange Cap. That was one big reason that he was included in the squad for the ongoing Test series in England. Sai was rewarded with a debut cap in the first game, but it didn't turn out to be a great debut game for the left-hander.
He got out without scoring in his debut innings. In the second innings, he looked good, but his innings was cut short for a score of 30 off 48. Ben Stokes trapped him in the on-the-pad plan in both innings.
Notably, India preferred Sudharsan over the proven and tested domestic performer Abhimanyu Easwaran in the first Test. Some of the fans also raised questions about this decision, and now that Sai Sudharsan has failed, there are chances that India can try to pick someone else in his place.