Shubman Gill, India’s Test captain, shared insights at the toss before the second Test of the five-match series, highlighting the unexpected turn of events in sports throughout 2025. He noted that the year has witnessed numerous underdog teams achieving monumental victories, which serves as motivation for the current Indian Test side in their pursuit of an elusive win at Edgbaston. India has faced a challenging history at this venue, with eight previous Tests resulting in no victories—seven losses and one draw.
Reflecting on the year, Gill remarked, “This year has been a year of chaos. A lot of teams who haven’t won a lot have won, so maybe that’ll change fortunes for us [at Edgbaston].” His optimism comes after significant wins by various teams across sports, including Paris Saint-Germain capturing their first UEFA Champions League title and Royal Challengers Bengaluru securing their first IPL title after 18 years of disappointment.
England’s captain, Ben Stokes, won the toss and chose to field first, putting pressure on the Indian side that is currently trailing 1-0 in the series after a 5-wicket loss at Headingley. The Indian team has made three adjustments from the previous lineup, with Sai Sudharsan and Prasidh Krishna out, while Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for workload management. Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, and Akash Deep have been brought into the squad.
Gill expressed the strategic decisions behind these changes, stating, “This is an important match for us, but the third match at Lord’s there may be something more in the wicket and we thought we’ll play him there.”
As both teams prepare to clash, there is hope that India can draw inspiration from the success stories of underdog teams this year, potentially turning their fortunes around at Edgbaston.
India’s Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
England’s Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir