Why are Kuldeep Yadav & Arshdeep Singh not playing ENG vs IND 2nd ODI?
Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh were also absent from the ENG vs IND 1st ODI in Birmingham.
India and England are clashing in the 2nd ODI at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on July 16. Leading the series 1-0 after winning the opening game, the Men in Blue aim for a series victory in today’s clash. India crushed England by six wickets in the 1st ODI in Birmingham by chasing down a 259-run target.
Harry Brook won the toss once again in the 2nd ODI, but he opted to field first this time. At the toss, Indian skipper Shubman Gill revealed that they have made just one change to the playing XI.
Wicket-keeper batsman KL Rahul is rested for the encounter as he is sick. Ishan Kishan replaced him in the playing XI. Moreover, spinner Kuldeep Yadav and pacer Arshdeep Singh are absent from the 2nd ODI. Both of them also missed the opening game.
Why are Arshdeep & Kuldeep absent from ENG vs IND 2nd ODI?
Notably, Arshdeep Singh has once again been overlooked for the encounter. Since the other pacers have performed better than him, Arshdeep hasn’t got a chance.
In the pace department, Gurnoor Brar, Jasprit Bumrah, and Prasidh Krishna are part of the playing XI, alongside seam all-rounder Shivam Dube.
Arshdeep played in two ODIs against Afghanistan last month and picked five wickets at an average of 14.40. So far, he has featured in 17 ODIs and accounts for 30 wickets in his kitty.
On the other hand, Kuldeep Yadav is also overlooked for the encounter. India have opted for spin all-rounders Axar Patel and Washington Sundar instead of Kuldeep in the Cardiff clash.
Both of them impressed with their performance in the opening game, smacking unbeaten half-centuries in the 2nd innings. Patel, who also bagged a four-fer, was awarded Player of the Match.
Kuldeep has struggled to impress with his performance in the ODIs since the start of 2026. In the three-match series against New Zealand in January, he could only get 3 wickets. The orthodox spinner could not get any wickets in the only ODI match he played against Afghanistan last month.
Speaking at the toss, Gill said, “We would have bowled first as well. Doing well, and yes, very happy and very pleased we had a near-perfect game last game. So hopefully we’re gonna have another good game. So hopefully I will have another one to add on to those memories. Yeah, we’ve got one change, KL is sick, so he misses out, and Ishan Kishan comes back in”.
India’s Playing XI vs ENG for 2nd ODI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (C), Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna.
Why is Arshdeep Singh not part of the ENG vs IND 2nd ODI?
India have opted for pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, and Gurnoor Brar in the playing XI, alongside seam all-rounder Shivam Dube. Hence, Arshdeep has been overlooked for the clash once again.
Why is Kuldeep Yadav not part of the ENG vs IND 2nd ODI?
India have opted for spin all-rounders like Axar Patel and Washington Sundar in the playing XI. Hence, Kuldeep has been overlooked for the clash.
For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.
Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.