NEW DELHI: Former Australia captain Aaron Finch has questioned India’s team selection for the second Test at Edgbaston, expressing surprise over the exclusion of premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah and in-form spinner Kuldeep Yadav. India made three changes to their playing XI, bringing in Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, and Akash Deep in place of Shardul Thakur, Sai Sudharsan, and Jasprit Bumrah. England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bowl.Reacting on social media, Finch wrote: “If Bumrah was fit to play then surely you need to pick the best bowler in the world? At the very least Kuldeep has to be in the XI if you’re worried about taking 20 wickets. Yes, he might be more expensive but he’s the next best attacking option!”Finch’s remarks echoed the sentiments of many fans and experts who were stunned by India’s selection decisions. Bumrah, widely regarded as one of the world’s best all-format bowlers, was left out despite being reportedly fit.Kuldeep, India’s standout spinner in the first Test, also missed out on selection. With India trailing 0-1 in the five-match series, the absence of two key wicket-taking options has sparked intense debate.
After being put in to bat, India’s stand-in skipper Shubman Gill explained the reasoning: “Would’ve bowled first as well. If there’s anything in the wicket, it’s on the first day. Three changes – Reddy, Washi and Akash Deep come in. No Bumrah. Just to manage his workload. We did get a good break, and this is an important match for us. But the 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 looking at the last match, our lower order didn’t do well, so we decided to add some depth to the batting.“
