“India has gone for a safe selection” - Michael Vaughan slams Shubman Gill & Co. for not selecting Kuldeep Yadav for 2nd Test

Former England captain and commentator Michael Vaughan slammed Indian team management for not going ahead with their attacking spin option Kuldeep Yadav for the second Test, taking place in Edgbaston, Birmingham.

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Speaking on Sony Sports Network, Vaughan stated that India is aiming to play safe in their selection, especially after losing their first Test in Leeds. He added that instead of India going ahead in strengthening their bowling department, they enhanced their lower-order batting.

"Not playing Kuldeep is a safe decision. They've not picked what I believe is a bowler that could easily get 6 or 7 wickets in a Test match. You have to get 20. The pitch is pretty dry. Surely you have to play a leg-spinner. I think India has gone for a safe selection," he said on Sony Sports Network.

"When a team goes behind and starts losing, you start selecting for safe. The only way to get out of that losing streak is to go for it and take risks. I think this is a very very safe selection. It might work and they might bat great. It's not the batting that was the problem at Headingley," he added.

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After losing the toss, Gill stated that Team India will include Nitish Kumar Reddy in the place of Sai Sudharsan. Moreover, Akash Deep replaced Jasprit Bumrah, who has been managing his workload. On the other hand, Washington Sundar came in the place of Shardul Thakur.

At stumps on Day 1, India were at a decent position, scoring 310 runs for the loss of five wickets. While Yashasvi Jaiswal smacked 87 runs in 107 balls, Shubman Gill is batting on 114* and Ravindra Jadeja is unbeaten on 41. India is aiming to level the series 1-1 with a win in Birmingham.

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