“He’s very close” - India’s assistant coach drops big hints at possible change in playing XI for 2nd ENG vs IND 2025 Test

India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has said that all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is "very close" to playing the second Test against England, beginning at Edgbaston on Wednesday, July 2. The 45-year-old revealed that the decision to play Shardul Thakur at Leeds was to strengthen the bowling attack.

Ten Doeschate praised Reddy for his performance in Australia and referred to him as the "premium batting all-rounder" in the side. He added that the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) had a good chance of featuring in the second Test.

“He’s very close to getting a game. He was fantastic in Australia. Coming into the team and playing the way he did, we just felt on balance for the last game we wanted to go with a bowling all-rounder which we thought Shardul (Thakur) was slightly ahead on the bowling front," Ten Doeschate said at the press conference on Monday, June 30 (via cricket.com).

"We are looking at ways of rejigging the puzzle so we can get a batting all-rounder in. Obviously, Nitish is our premium batting all-rounder at the moment. I would say he has a very good chance to play this Test," he added.

The former Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder also said that the management is keen on playing Kuldeep Yadav in the second Test. He, however, admitted that the left-arm wrist spinner's inclusion in the playing XI will depend on who plays in the middle and lower middle-order. Ten doeschate said:

"We'd love to get him into the team. Playing two all-rounders in the last game, it would have been nice to have a spinner in the last game. Also, we are trying to make the best assessment of what we are seeing in front of us."

"We know we are going to need three seamers in this game and it is just how you manage that 6,7,8 role, the guys who are going to play that role and whether we can fit Kuldeep in now or save him for later in the series where if the weather stays like this, it should turn somewhere along the line."

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Ryan ten Doeschate says India could play two spinners in the second Test at Edgbaston

India opted to play the lone spinner in Ravindra Jadeja for the series opener against England at Leeds. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate all but confirmed that the tourists would play two spinners in the second match. However, he added that the choice would depend on the conditions on offer on Wednesday, saying:

"There is a very strong chance of playing two spinners. It is just which two we play and that goes back to the previous question about juggling the batting depth. All three spinners are bowling very nicely. Washi (Sundar) is batting very nicely. So it is just which combination do we go with, do we go with all-rounder spinner or the out and out spinner."

"Then we obviously have to play the bowling all-rounder. So there is so many different variables. The wicket has 11 or 12 mm of grass, it is quite grassy and patchy. It is quite dry underneath but there is also rain forecast for Wednesday, so trying to weigh up two options of how we want to go attacking wise, but I am pretty sure two spinners will play in this Test."

There have been calls from various quarters, including former Australian captain Michael Clarke, urging the management to include Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI for the second Test match.