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India and England are currently facing off in the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series. Just like the first Test, England won the toss and opted to bowl first at Edgbaston.

Team India has made three changes to the playing XI, and the most notable omission is that of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Ahead of the match, captain Shubman Gill confirmed that Bumrah has been rested due to workload management, not injury concerns.

Why Is Bumrah Not Playing?

Jasprit Bumrah, who bowled nearly 44 overs in the first Test and claimed five wickets, is returning from a long-standing back injury.

To prevent any risk of aggravation, the team management has decided to give him a break for this match. Reports ahead of the series also indicated that head coach Gautam Gambhir had planned for Bumrah to play only three Tests in the series.

When asked about Bumrah’s absence during the toss, Gill assured fans that Bumrah is fully fit, and the decision to rest him was purely precautionary.

“Jasprit Bumrah is completely fit. We have given him rest only as a precaution. Now we are just focusing on managing our workload. The third Test is at Lord's, we think that fast bowlers will get more help in that pitch. So we will use him there,” said Shubman Gill.

Jasprit Bumrah is expected to return for the third Test at Lord’s, where conditions are likely to be more favorable for seam bowling.

England won the toss and have opted to field.

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.