Cricket news: England name unchanged side but no room for returning Jofra Archer as hosts look to extend series lead over India

England have decided to stick with the 11 that secured a series-opening victory at Headingley as the second encounter of this anticipated five-match series heads to Birmingham.

The visitors led by Shubman Gill for the first time in Tests were handed a reality-check in true ‘Bazball’ fashion in Leeds and will be hoping for a quick bounce-back to avoid sinking deeper.

Here, Sports News Blitz writer Bilal Patel previews what’s in store ahead of the second Test.

Match preview

After chasing down a gigantic total of 371 on the final day, England will be riding high with the composure they showed to take the game away from India on the final day.

While both sets of batters displayed their ability on a batting-friendly pitch, it was the bowling and fielding that were the difference-makers between the two sides.

India’s dramatic collapses in both innings, which was inspired by some hard-fought bowling by the likes of Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse, ultimately set up a final day thriller. 

The bowling on the Indian front, led by Jasprit Bumrah, was largely ineffective as the English batters comfortably reached the target.

Things will only get tougher for the visitors as Brendon McCullum’s side will believe they can win from any situation.

READ MORE: India cricket news: Five key takeaways after first Test match against England

Team news 

There is a major boost for the hosts as they make one addition to their overall squad, welcoming the return of Jofra Archer, whose inclusion in the Test squad comes after four years. 

Archer featured for Sussex in their recent County Championship match against Durham, where he bowled 18 overs in the second innings for a return of a solitary wicket.

Mark Wood edges closer to returning from a knee injury, whilst Gus Atkinson is still out with a hamstring strain. 

England XI for second Test against India: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir

As for India, it is unlikely their side remains the same for the second Test. There are doubts about Bumrah featuring to manage his workload as the visitors turn to other bowling options.

Gautam Gambhir will be presented with a selection headache to choose the right combination to succeed in Birmingham.

There are also talks of India potentially adding an extra spin option in either Washington Sundar, who can prove himself with the bat or a more conventional leg-spinner in Kuldeep Yadav.

In fact, Sundar came into the side and replaced Kuldeep for the second Test at home to New Zealand last year in a series where they got whitewashed at home. 

There will also be concerns on the middle/lower-order batting, which led to India’s downfall in both innings, on which England capitalised.

Karun Nair and Shardul Thakur were underwhelming with the bat in hand when others around them shone.

The likes of Dhruv Jurel and Nitish Reddy, who featured in the last away tour of Australia, could see themselves back in the mix as India look to level the series. 

India Predicted XI for Second Test against England: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna

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Pitch report 

The weather for the first three days is expected to be relatively dry, but there could be some wet weather in parts for the back half of the match come the weekend.

Temperatures are expected to be around the low-20-degree range throughout the five days.

India have never beaten England in their last eight encounters between the two sides at Edgbaston, having only drawn once.

In their last meeting in Warwickshire, the hosts chased down 378 runs to tie the series in 2022, just a few runs more than what McCullum’s side chased down in Leeds last week. 

The visitors will be hoping to turn their fortunes and will be doing anything they can to avoid going 2-0 down in the series.

Match prediction

Just like at Headingley, all the stats seem to be in England’s favour. However, India have proved they can compete and bring the fight to the hosts. 

However, India’s fragility, inconsistency and unsettled line-up could again lead them to being exposed once again.

We think Stokes will guide his side to go up 2-0 in the series.

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