"He will definitely give more runs in batting" - Varun Aaron on India's potential bowling changes for ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

Former India player Varun Aaron has opined that Shubman Gill and company will play Nitish Kumar Reddy at Shardul Thakur's expense in the second Test against England. He also urged the visitors to play Akash Deep if Jasprit Bumrah is unavailable for selection.

India suffered a five-wicket loss in the first Test against England in Leeds. The second game of the five-match series will be played in Birmingham from Wednesday, July 2, onwards.

During an interaction on the Star Sports show 'Game Plan,' Aaron was asked about India's potential bowling changes for the second Test against England.

"One change will definitely be there. If Bumrah doesn't play, in my opinion, Akash Deep should play because Akash Deep has the ability to pitch the ball up and nibble it both ways. If Bumrah is unable to recover, Akash Deep is a good option. (Mohammed) Siraj will play for sure. Siraj will be the main bowler of the attack if Bumrah doesn't play," the former India pacer responded.

"I feel they will play Nitish Kumar Reddy in Shardul's place because, most importantly, they need Nitish Kumar Reddy's batting as Shardul didn't bowl that much. Nitish Kumar Reddy can also bowl as much as Shardul, but he will definitely give more runs in batting. I feel they won't tamper with the bowling too much," he added.

Shardul Thakur went wicketless and conceded 38 runs in six overs in England's first innings of the Leeds Test and registered figures of 2/51 in 10 overs during the chase. He contributed only five runs across his two innings, falling to catches behind the wicket on both occasions.

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"Virat Kohli had the cushion to play 4 fast bowlers" - Varun Aaron on whether India can play another seamer in ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

Shardul Thakur was the fourth seamer in India's bowling attack in the Leeds Test. [P/C: Getty]

In the same interaction, Varun Aaron was asked whether India could field four fast bowlers as used to happen in Virat Kohli's captaincy era.

"When Virat Kohli was the captain, they had Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara in the middle order, three legendary batters, so Virat Kohli had the cushion to play four fast bowlers. This Indian team does not have that cushion," he replied.

The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that Shubman Gill needs more cushion in batting, which Nitish Kumar Reddy provides.

"The middle order hasn't functioned properly, not just in one match, but for the last one year. So Shubman Gill doesn't have that cushion. Shubman Gill needs cushion in batting. So, definitely, they will play Reddy, and the bowlers will have to do their job," Aaron observed.

Nitish Kumar Reddy has scored 298 runs at an average of 37.25 in five Tests. He has picked up five wickets at an average of 38.00 in nine innings.