“Not plug in another guy who can give us some runs” - When Virat Kohli prioritised bowling before going 1-0 up in ENG vs IND 2021 series

Team India have been caught in a tug-of-war between strengthening the bowling attack to have the best chance at picking 20 wickets or infusing the side with all-rounders to get maximum possible batting depth in the 2025 England tour. Despite skipper Shubman Gill's assurance of bowling over the opposition twice, the Men in Blue have sprung up some surprising changes for the second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham.

After picking only 15 wickets in the first Test, and only five on the final day, the team had some serious questions to answer regarding their bowling unit. With Jasprit Bumrah's participation being a doubt due to his workload, the visitors needed a genuine wicket-taker among the ranks.

Despite being open to playing a second spinner, and an attacking option in Kuldeep Yadav being available, Team India went down the all-rounder route again to field Washington Sundar instead. The side named two more all-rounders in Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravindra Jadeja, leaving both Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav on the bench.

Faced with a similar predicament during the 2021 tour of England, when Shardul Thakur was injured after the first Test in Nottingham, former skipper Virat Kohli asserted the need for a full-strength bowling unit over batting depth.

"For us it's about finding that perfect balance, but if someone like Shardul is not available we will definitely think first about how we pick up 20 wickets, not plug-in another guy who can give us some runs with the bat," Kohli told Sky Sports ahead of the second Test in Lord's.

Kohli lived up to his words as it was a frontline pacer in Ishant Sharma that ended up replacing Shardul Thakur in the playing XI. In the absence of the all-rounder, the batting depth was non-existent as Mohammed Shami had to bat as high as No.8.

The Virat Kohli-led side had a massive collapse in the first innings, losing their way from 331-5 to 364 all out in the blink of an eye. However, it was the lower-order that revived India with the bat in the second innings. Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah put up an unbeaten 89-run partnership for the ninth wicket to stretch the lead.

Virat Kohli's decision to unleash the pace quartet paid off for Team India at Lord's

Having four frontline pacers in the team meant that India could go all out with the ball, while England did not have a breather, or room to capitalise across both innings. In the first innings, despite a Joe Root masterclass, the hosts could only end with a slender lead.

Whereas, in the second innings, where the visitors only had a couple of sessions to skittle out 10 wickets on the final day, all four pacers bowled at full tilt to bundle out the opposition for 121 in 51.5 overs.