IND vs ENG 2nd Test Toss Update: India vs England Playing 11, Captain's Quotes, Pitch Report

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IND vs ENG 2nd Test Toss, Playing 11 Update: England captain Ben Stokes opted to bowl first after winning the toss against India at Edgbaston in Birmingham on June 2, 2025 (Wednesday).

After winning the toss, Ben Stokes said: We're going to bowl. Overhead conditions favour it. Very good team performance last week, we're confident. You understand the conditions better as you go deeper into the Test. Brains and me and Baz are not three things you put together. Great run chase, great start to the series.

Meanwhile India captain Shubman Gill said: Would've bowled first as well. If there's anything in the wicket, it's in the first day. Three changes - Reddy, Washi and Akash Deep come in. No Bumrah. Just to manage his workload. Third Test being at Lord's, we think there'll be more in that pitch so we'll use him there. We were tempted to play Kuldeep but decided to add some depth to the batting.

IND vs ENG Playing XIs

India (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 (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.

IND vs ENG 2nd Test Pitch Report

The Edgbaston pitch is expected to behave like a typical English Test surface, offering good assistance to fast bowlers in the initial stages. On the first two days, there should be noticeable seam movement and swing, especially with the Dukes ball in play and humid weather likely to enhance conditions for pace bowlers. Batting may prove challenging early on, with early wickets a strong possibility during the opening session.

As the match progresses into the third and fourth days, the pitch is likely to settle, providing more favorable conditions for batters. Run-scoring should become easier as the surface flattens out. By the fifth day, some wear and tear on the pitch may start to appear. This could bring spinners into the game, and reverse swing might also become a key factor in the final stages of the match.