India are rattled and unravelling – this series could end 5-0 ...Middle East

EDGBASTON — After England calmly named their XI two days out from the start of the second Test, the contrast with a rattled India camp that appears riven with indecision couldn’t be clearer.

Put simply, England, 1-0 up after their latest Headingley heist in the series opener, are confident, composed and eyeing up another victory that would quicken chat of a potential 5-0 whitewash.

On the other side, India have tied themselves in knots by publicly proclaiming Jasprit Bumrah, the No 1-ranked bowler in the world, will only play three of the five Tests.

Less than 22 hours before the start of the second Test, Shubman Gill, their young captain who lost his first game in charge last week in gut-wrenching fashion as England chased down 371 at Headingley, was unable to confirm whether Bumrah would be playing again here.

On the back of comments from assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate on Monday, the feeling is that India will rest Bumrah and hope to escape from Edgbaston with a draw.

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Somewhere along the line, someone in the touring party misplaced the memo about England’s Bazballers not doing draws.

Yet India know if they go 2-0 down, the series could be all but over for them.

The smart play would be to continue with Bumrah in Birmingham and look to square the series 1-1.

Yet the complication may lie in what Bumrah wants.

These second and third Tests are back to back with just four days separating them.

Bumrah will not want to miss out on playing at Lord’s, the venue for the third Test.

But his back issues mean if he plays in Birmingham, there is no way he will take the field in north London next week.

Like all big calls, there will be a difference of opinion among those in the India camp about when best to rest Bumrah.

Making the plan public, though, after losing the first Test has not helped their situation.

It seems certain that all-rounder Shardul Thakur will make way at Edgbaston for a second spinner.

Yet Gill was also unable to reveal the identity of his replacement, confirming India need to take another look at the pitch before making a call in the evening before the match starts.

The choice is between Washington Sundar, an all-rounder who can bat, and Kuldeep Yadav, a spinner who has a good record against England.

Predictably for an India camp who appear to be making their plans up as they go along, Sundar looks like the favourite to play.

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Such muddled thinking is easy to understand given the trauma India sustained losing the first Test, with a series of dropped catches, collapses in both innings and becoming the first team in first-class history to lose after scoring five individual centuries always likely to have a debilitating effect.

The first signs of things potentially unravelling came in the minutes after the Headingley defeat when head coach Gautam Gambhir scolded an Indian journalist who, looking for a positive line, asked a gentle question about Rishabh Pant scoring two centuries in the match.

Yet the signs were there for all to see well before that on the final day at Headingley, with India’s constant complaints about the ball that drew boos from the crowd illustrating their defeatist attitude.

Gill also ceded tactical calls in the field to Bumrah, Pant and KL Rahul as he struggled to exert his authority.

Indian complaints about this year’s batch of Dukes balls have continued in the build-up to this second Test.

There also seems a general air of incredulity about how flat the pitches in England are this summer among the Indian camp and media following the team.  

If India thought Headingley was too batting friendly, they will be shocked at Edgbaston, which could provide the flattest pitch of the whole summer.

This is also the last ground India would want to travel to at this time, too, given that they have never won here.

England know they have India right where they want them. Win here and the whitewash is on.

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