Wed Jul 02 10:00:00 UTC 2025: **India Opts to Bat First After Losing First Test in Tendulkar-Anderson Series**

**Birmingham, UK -** England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to field first as the second Test of the Tendulkar-Anderson Series 2025 began today at Edgbaston, Birmingham. India aims to rebound after a 5-wicket loss in the first Test at Headingley.

The Indian team sees some changes with Nitesh Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, and Akash Deep included in the playing XI. Jasprit Bumrah, Sai Sudharsan, and Shardul Thakur are out of the lineup.

**Early Wickets Fall**

India’s innings got off to a shaky start as opener KL Rahul was dismissed for just 2 runs in the 9th over, caught by Chris Woakes, bringing the score to 15/1. Karun Nair then joined Yashasvi Jaiswal at the crease. Jaiswal reached his half-century off 59 balls. However, Karun Nair departed for 31, caught by Cars, with India’s score at 95/2. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill are currently batting for India.

**Edgbaston History**

Edgbaston has not been a happy hunting ground for India, having lost 7 of the 8 Test matches played here, with one draw. Historically, teams batting second at Edgbaston have had the advantage, a trend highlighted by England’s record-breaking chase of 378 against India in 2022.

**Weather and Pitch Conditions**

The forecast suggests rain on the fourth and fifth days of the Test. Historically, Edgbaston hasn’t offered much assistance to spinners in recent years. Since 2020, it has been the third-worst venue for spinners in England, with fast bowlers averaging a wicket every 30 runs compared to spinners’ 44.45 runs per wicket.

**Playing XIs:**

* **India:** Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitesh Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
* **England:** Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.

**India vs. England at Edgbaston (Head-to-Head):**

* Total Matches: 8
* England Wins: 7
* India Wins: 0
* Draws: 1

Stay tuned for further updates and live scores.

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