'Gautam Gambhir is a bloody fool' - Twitter reacts as Sai Sudharsan, Shardul Thakur get dropped for 2nd Test

India have made three changes to their playing XI for the second Test of the five-match series against England, set to begin on Wednesday, July 2, at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Sai Sudharsan and Shardul Thakur have been dropped from the lineup, while Jasprit Bumrah has been rested to manage his workload.

England claimed a five-wicket win in the first Test to take a 1–0 lead in the series. Ahead of the second Test, Ben Stokes chose to bat first after winning the toss. India have three all-rounders in their playing XI. They aim to strengthen both their batting and bowling departments to bounce back in the series.

India Stick With Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul As Openers

India stick with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul as openers after their impressive outings in Headingley. However, Sai Sudharsan made way for Washington Sundar. Sudharsan managed just 30 runs across two innings, while Karun Nair, who also struggled with scores of 0 and 20, could move up the order.

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Washington Sundar adds depth to both batting and bowling. Nitish Kumar Reddy comes in for Shardul Thakur, who had an underwhelming performance in Leeds. Thakur managed just two wickets for 89 runs in 16 overs and failed to contribute with the bat.

It’s worth mentioning that the visitors suffered lower-order collapses in both innings of the series opener, which ultimately led to their defeat, despite five individual centuries being scored across the two innings.

Sai Sudharsan’s Test Debut Began with a Disappointing Duck

Sai Sudharsan’s Test debut began with a disappointing duck, getting caught behind off a delivery down the leg side. He showed some promise in the second innings, scoring 30 off 48 balls. However, his omission from the second Test isn’t due to performance, but to add an extra spinner in the lineup.

Shardul Thakur, meanwhile, struggled to make an impact. He bowled only six overs without taking a wicket in England’s first innings and picked up just two wickets in the fourth, as the hosts successfully chased 371. With the bat, Shardul failed to contribute, scoring just 1 and 4 in his two innings.

England took a 1-0 lead in the Test series after pulling off a run chase in the opening match at Headingley. The hosts successfully chased down the target with five wickets in hand. It was the tenth-highest successful run chase in the history of Test cricket.

Fans React as Sai Sudharsan, Shardul Thakur Omitted from India’s Playing XI for 2nd Test

Why give a Test debut to Sai Sudharsan if he was going to be dropped after 1 match?? It's not like He is injured. pic.twitter.com/LlbdXBzTTJ

— Aditya Saha (@Adityakrsaha) July 2, 2025

Feel for Sai Sudharsan - he has been dropped after 1 Test due to team combination. pic.twitter.com/wxS8cZkE7m

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 2, 2025

-Sai Sudharsan dropped for no reason
-Kuldeep is yet to get a game

Gambhir era not holding back 🥵 pic.twitter.com/SVYXj1dPkd

— TukTuk Academy (@TukTuk_Academy) July 2, 2025

After the retirements of Rohit, Virat, and Ashwin, a key question for the new India era - and the main skill needed from management - is how they blood youngsters into the Test team.

Anyway, 23 year old Sai Sudharsan has been dropped after one Test, where he batted first drop

— Ben Jones (@benjonescricket) July 2, 2025

You should be slapped if you drop a player after one bad game.

This is injustice to Sai Sudharsan.

No clarity on Karun Nair role as well.

Why so much panic after playing the first test well for the first 4 days!!

— Enaam (@iamenaam) July 2, 2025

THE NUMBERS 3 OF INDIA FROM BGT :

1st Test - Padikkal
2nd Test - Shubman Gill
3rd Test - Gill ( Dropped)
4th Test - kl Rahul
5th Test - Gill
1st Test - Sai Sudharsan
2nd Test - Karun Nair (Sai dropped)

- It's Gautam Gambhir Era in test Cricket

pic.twitter.com/efs2t4Q6sl

— MANU. (@IMManu_18) July 2, 2025

They should've kept Shardul Thakur is what i feel.

— ; (@PelDugaBC) July 2, 2025

Dropping Shardul Thakur is the biggest mistake India has made today. #ENGvsIND #TestCricket

— Rohit Ghosh (@rohitghosh123) July 2, 2025

Gambhir is a bloody fool. Karun ahead of Sai? No Kuldeep? Disgrace.

— Jaggs (@jaggstalkssport) July 2, 2025

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