"Who will come in his place?" - Aakash Chopra on potential choice between Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar for ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

Former India player Aakash Chopra has wondered whether Kuldeep Yadav or Washington Sundar should replace Shardul Thakur in the Indian team's playing XI for the second Test against England. He virtually ruled out the seam-bowling all-rounder's chances of retaining his place in the XI.

India suffered a five-wicket defeat 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.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener opined that a spinner should replace Thakur in the visitors' playing XI.

"If Shardul Thakur is not going to play, I feel he won't, who will come in his place? Ideally, a spinner should come because the Birmingham conditions are such that the ball turns. If you see the average scores, it becomes very low as you go into the fourth innings. It's 157, that's really, really low. That means the pitch deteriorates," he said (2:15).

Chopra noted that the Edgbaston pitch will likely assist the spinners and that India need to play proper bowling to register their first Test win at the venue.

"Traditionally, it's a ground that helps spin, but it's also a fact that we haven't won matches here. So this is a frontier we haven't conquered. We played well in the last match, but we have come here after losing. I feel we can go with hope for a win here because we are a team that creates history. However, for that, we need to play full bowling. A spinner needs to play," he observed.

Shardul Thakur picked up two wickets while conceding 89 runs in 16 overs across England's two innings in the Leeds Test. He failed to deliver with the bat too, aggregating five runs in his two innings.

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"Kuldeep Yadav can be an incredible option" - Aakash Chopra on potential replacement for Shardul Thakur in ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

Kuldeep Yadav enjoys an impressive Test record against England. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that he thought Kuldeep Yadav would be an ideal replacement for Shardul Thakur.

"I was feeling Kuldeep Yadav, that Shardul would go out, and Kuldeep would come in. Your batting won't improve, but Kuldeep Yadav is the player who can pick up wickets. Whatever they (England) may throw at us (in batting), Kuldeep Yadav can be an incredible option," he said (3:30).

While observing that India might opt for Washington Sundar for batting depth, the cricketer-turned-commentator urged them to play Kuldeep.

"However, I am hearing that Washington Sundar might be played, which means both Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar would play, and then it again comes to your mind that you have started thinking about who would bat. I am not saying Washi can't take wickets, but they have only two left-handers, Ben Duckett and Ben Stokes. I am thinking you should play Kuldeep," Chopra reasoned.

Kuldeep Yadav has picked up 56 wickets at an average of 22.16 in 13 Tests. Washington Sundar has accounted for 25 dismissals at an average of 25.64 in nine Tests.