Saba Karim suggests changes in India’s XI for ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Saba Karim believes India should include Kuldeep Yadav in their playing XI for the second Test match against England. India suffered a five-wicket loss against the hosts despite setting a target of 371 runs in the opening Test at Leeds, Headingley.

Indian bowlers seemed toothless on the final day’s play, barring the opening hour when Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, looked threatening.

Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja was backed as the solitary spinner but the experienced all-rounder could not make much impact in the game, taking a solitary wicket. 

Karim said India needs attacking bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav, who can pick up wickets.

“Stats are the witness. Kuldeep Yadav took 17 wickets against England in the home series. When he releases the ball, no English batter is able to understand it. So why aren’t you playing that kind of bowler? He is an attacking bowler for you. India need attacking bowlers at the moment,” Saba Karim said on Sony Sports.

The former selector said the visitors would need to take bold decisions to make a stronger comeback in the series after losing the opener.

“If you are playing a batting all-rounder in the form of Nitish Kumar Reddy, the four remaining bowlers need to be wicket-taking options. India will have to go with bold moves. There is no need for defensive decisions. We are trailing 1-0, this is the time to take courageous and bold decisions which will be in India’s favor,” Saba observed.

Speaking on the positives, Karim said India’s top and middle order batted well in both innings. Furthermore, Jasprit Bumrah was brilliant in the first innings and the former gloveman noted that Siraj and Krishna showed improvement in the second essay.

“We have lost the Test match for sure, but what are the takeaways for India? Your top order and middle order have batted well to a certain extent. They have scored five hundreds. Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling has always been incredible, but much improved performance from Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna in the second innings,” he said.

Karim added India must not allow England to bounce back into the contest when they are in a commanding position. While India lost 7-41 in the first innings, they suffered another collapse in the second dig, losing 6-31.

“The biggest learning will be that when you are in an advantageous position, you cannot give England a comeback chance. We made that mistake two times. We made that same mistake in both the first and second innings, and I feel the match turned from there,” Saba Karim observed.

The second Test match between India and England will be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham from July 2nd onwards.