India’s drubbing has left everyone in the country seething – including cricket media, fans, and pundits. While everyone expected India to roll over England, the Three Lions have taken everyone by surprise and put on a clinical display.
They have shown that, even if you’re the No. 1 ranked Test team in the world, if you don’t prepare accordingly and underestimate the opposition, anything is possible.
Now, India is 2-0 down in the five match series. With three matches still to go, India still stands a chance to win or at least draw the series.
An energetic show from the batting order is needed but what should be team line-up for the third Test? So analyzing the squad and conditions. Here is how the Indian team should look for the third Test.
The openers have failed to give the team a solid start, leaving Virat Kohli and the following batsmen exposed to the new Duke ball. Jimmy Anderson is a wily operator of the new ball and, with conditions that aid swing, he is unplayable, which he showed in the first innings at Lord’s – claiming 5/20.
Chris Woakes came and wrecked havoc, taking six scalps in the second Test. Then there is Stuart Broad, who can rip apart any batting line-up in one spell. The 6/25 at Old Trafford against India in 2011, 8/15 against Australia at Nottingham in 2015 and 6/17 against South Africa at Johannesburg in 2016 show Broad can singlehandedly destroy the opposition.
India needs a steady start against the new ball to blunt the threat of England’s frontline bowler. But the icing on the cake for England bowlers is Sam Curran, who doesn’t give any freebie.
The batsmen are always under the pump. Hence, the top order role is crucial if the middle order is to kick on and get a big score in the first innings.
India’s openers have looked all at sea against the new ball bowlers of England, but Murali Vijay got runs against the same bowling attack back in the 2014 tour of England. KL Rahul has got the talent and temperament to do well, and has done well for India overseas in Sri Lanka, Australia and West Indies.
Perhaps India were undercooked – that’s why both openers couldn’t do justice to their role – but with now two matches under their belt and more practice, the openers will be more prepared and honestly, these two are the best we could have in this conditions.
So Vijay-Rahul should get another go. Cheteshwar Pujara, with all that he has done for India at No. 3 over the years and his experience of playing in county cricket, should keep the spot for next three Tests.
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But the top three have got to find a way to not just to hang in there, but score at a decent rate. Pujara blocked the ball for some time in the last Test, but it wasn’t a long time before Broad removed him with a beauty. Rotating strike is essential.
The biggest question mark is over the fitness of Virat Kohli, as his back problem has resurfaced again.
Is playing a half-fit Virat worth a shot with the tour of Australia, New Zealand coming and, more importantly, a World Cup next year? The final call is for Kohli to take, but if he isn’t fit to play, India loses its chief batting kingpin.
Karun Nair, in that case, will replace Kohli. The gulf between Virat and other batsmen overseas so much that in five Tests played across South Africa and England, Kohli averages more than 52, while next best average by an Indian batsman is 17 by Shikhar Dhawan. The remaining batsmen have to stand up now, or series is gone.
Ajinkya Rahane will keep his place at No. 5 in the batting order. Dinesh Karthik as wicketkeeper has looked tentative, though he took an excellent catch off Jonny Bairstow.
As far as his batting goes, Karthik has struggled against the incoming deliveries and has three single-digit scores apart from the 20 he got at Edgbaston. He seemed injured as well.
So, Rishabh Pant will most likely come in. For the 33-year-old Karthik, this could be his last Test series, and hence team management has to carefully weigh in and provide enough opportunities to showcase himself before they give him the axe.
There are lots of questions surrounding Hardik Pandya the all-rounder. With 90 runs and three wickets to show in the two Tests played, he has not done justice to the role of an all-rounder.
Pandya can neither bat for three hours nor take wickets when the team needs the most. India needed the third pacer to stand up at Lord’s when England was in trouble at 4/89 on the third day at lunch.
But with frontline bowlers tired, Hardik couldn’t do the job of holding one end up or taking the wickets. It’s better to strengthen the batting with the inclusion of another batsman.
While Indian team management thinks playing six proper batsmen is a conservative move, given how much the batting has faltered in first two Tests, India should go in with six frontline batsmen.
Ravichandran Ashwin showed the world why he is still one of the best bowlers by picking up seven wickets in the first Test. Going ahead, India will need more of such bowling and even his contribution with the bat.
At Lord’s, he was the top scorer in both innings with 29 and 33*. Ashwin seems better bet as an all-rounder with both of his batting and bowling coming good. He could easily be the all-rounder India needs but team management needs to speak to him and entrust him with the role for some time.
Mohammad Shami and Ishant Sharma will be in the playing eleven unless for an injury. Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be the third pacer. Bumrah’s unusual action, the pace and the bounce which generates off the pitch make him a tough customer to play.
But will he be up for Test match rigor after a layoff of a few months? Playing a half-fit Bumrah over Umesh Yadav would be another wrong call they make. Umesh bowled well at Edgbaston and could be slotted in comfortably as the third seamer.
India doesn’t need to push Bumrah hard and risk his injury flaring up again.
India has won only one out of six matches played here. If India is to create a history, this has to start from Trent Bridge before looking any further in the series.
Bucks
Guest
+1
JimmyB
Guest
Why?
Rats
Guest
Pandya has a very good attitude on the field. A fighter and always improving.. He is the best when it comes to trying hard after Kohli in this Indian team. Problem is what Indian team management plans to do with him. His current role is the right one. Unfortunately after yesterday's performance some of the Indian commentators started telling things like "he can be a good third seamer".. what non-sense.. Someone as sensible as Harsha Bhogle even said that Pandya has taken his first step to become a third seamer in a two spinner scenario. Pandya must always be only a 5th bowler.
Rats
Guest
Interestingly this is the discussion by sky sports team - "all the ex-players and commentators agree that its 100% out. Because we have played the game and we know its clearly out, Fingers were under the ball. And cameras are dodgy when zoomed. But all the spectators agree its not out".. Interesting.. it looks like its bounced, but all the ex-players believe its out.
JimmyB
Guest
It looked like it did to me too, but given that the soft signal was out the 3rd umpire had little choice but to stay with the onfield decision. It certainly wasn’t a howler and as the commentators said if the situation was reversed England would have said that it was a clean catch. Pandya was outstanding, he may have changed the opinions of some Indian fans with that performance.
JimmyB
Guest
There’s something almost comforting about the predictability of it, all we need now is for his acolytes to jump on the bandwagon and all will be well in the world. FWIW though, England were bloody awful, something that we’ve become all too used to, the sublime closely followed by the ridiculous. It’s been almost a mirror image of the last game, only in reverse roles.
George
Guest
And right on cue, Ronan pipes up once England aren't in the ascendancy.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Pandya gone off. Did anyone see Root caught by Rahul? Looked like touched the grass to me.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
England are getting smashed in this match, will set it up nicely at 2-1 heading into the 4th Test.
Rats
Guest
Even the bowlers are not learning. They still think they are on SA. How shot Bumrah, Sharma and Shami are bowling at the moment. Atleast one of them should pitch it up.. they simply don't seem to learn and it's nothing new. When we have so many problems in hand even before the series started, the fact that you thought india will roll over England was a tough but over optimistic and over reqlistic.. Trust me.. I would have been the happiest if your predictions were right.
Rats
Guest
Should have never lost the first test.. top teams dont miss out on such opportunities. That's why I said no match awareness and series awareness. But India's problems are more than just mental. Look the slip cordon issues we have never been able to resolve. Look at the way Pant is keeping against Bumrah. Always wrong footed. Some serious problems with basic skills. Can't have these problems and call ourselves a top team and can never win in tough places with these problems..
Saurebh Gandle
Roar Guru
Rats-India had enough time and men to make it 2-0.But losing momentum after ODI and wrong choice of team in both test caused our downfall. At Lords any team could have been bowled out for 100 but when Eng were 124-5 a third seamer could have spelled death knell for England. Similarly ,7-87 in the second innings R Ashwin who averages 19 against left handers was taken out of the attack and those extra runs were the difference. Team selection from captain has let us down.
Paul
Roar Guru
Not being a statistician, I can't be sure, but I think you're saying the same thing in a different way. Completely agree those players would be gold for any Test team, which probably explains why Australian selectors are obsessed with finding one.
BurgyGreen
Guest
"a player who could hold their place in the Test side for either his batting or bowling" I see this definition a fair bit but very, very few players have ever satisfied it. Even someone as ridiculously good as Kallis probably wouldn't have held his place with the ball if he couldn't bat, because South Africa almost certainly had better fast bowlers available. Imran Khan is probably the greatest ever, but he only made 6 hundreds in 88 Tests. Flintoff probably keeps his place with the ball, but definitely not with the bat. Stokes maybe satisfies the criteria at the moment because he plays for a poor batting side, but that's another issue with the definition - it relies on the strength and balance of the particular team for which a player is being considered. This is not to take anything away from these awesome players, just to say that the definition adopted by Harbhajan and Holding isn't a good measure for the value of an all-rounder. I think a better definition of a quality allrounder is that they do one of two things. If they bat in the top 6, they ought to average around 35 with the bat and be substantially better than part time as a fifth bowler. If they're a bowling allrounder batting 7 or below, they should be averaging 30ish or better with the ball and about 30 with the bat. Both of those kinds of players are well worth a spot in the team.
Rats
Guest
"While everyone expected India to roll over England, the Three Lions have taken everyone by surprise and put on a clinical display" I know you have written plenty of articles saying India will beat England in England. And you also got carried away after T20 series win.. but that's your personal opinion and you have every rights to express it.. Just curious who is this everyone.. most of the sane indian cricket fans I have spoken to were much aware of India's batting weakness in those conditions and lack of match awareness from most of the Indian players even when they are on top. It's really unrealistic to think that we keep picking same bunch of batsmen in every tour and expect magic from them. India's batting weakness in test cricket is crystal clear.. no lesssons learnt from SA tour . ..
Paul
Roar Guru
Well done Anindya, your selection all played and played well, so far. It will be interesting to see what Bumrah and co do on this pitch. Looks like someone like Ishant could be very awkward, with his height and sideways movement.
Saurebh Gandle
Roar Guru
Pandya is he took 3 wickets but when match was out of India's hand.
Saurebh Gandle
Roar Guru
Anindya- I see Vijay being out of national team never to return again. If he ever goes back to domestic cricket. We have invested enough in Vijay. It's time to move on. We have been hard on Dhawan dropping him after one failure which affects players morale. Virat playing was certain after the second test loss. But is it worth to play him looking at an important year with Oz, NZ, and WC coming up? Karthik didn't practice much in the net session and there were injury issues so Pant will make his debut. Bumrah is the X-factor and I hope he doesn't waste the new ball for India's sake.
Paul
Roar Guru
Completely agree England has put on a clinic with the ball in both Tests, but their top order batting has been very scratchy and so has their fielding. In the First Test, England 7 for 87 in it's second innings till a first change bowler batted very well. Ditto in the Second Test where the Poms were 5 for 132 till Woakes and Bairstow batted so well. In effect, their batting has been saved by their bowlers, though it doesn't matter who gets the runs or takes the wickets. I was listening to a conversation between Holding and Harbajan about the definition of an all-rounder. They agreed it was a player who could hold their place the Test side for either his batting or bowling. Pandya's overall Test performances suggest he is a level below top notch in both departments. I also think Indian supporters are waiting for him to repeat I Tests, the fireworks he produces in T20. Again, not much happening
Tanmoy Kar
Guest
You are perfectly right, those are the three changes I am expecting as well and the Indian team management should do.