2) Mayank Agarwal for Shubman Gill
Mayank Agarwal, unfortunately, has been a victim of underperforming at the wrong time. During the tour down-under, Mayank scored a scanty 31 runs in four innings. The management immediately lost faith in him and handed a debut to Shubman Gill. However, Mayank still remains one of India’s best players against swing bowling that will likely be seen in England.
The Karnataka batsman has made a good start to his Test career. In 14 matches for India, the opener has scored 1052 runs at an average of 45.74, which includes a monumental knock of 243 against Bangladesh at the Holkar stadium in Pune. In the WTC, he has amassed 867 runs in 12 matches, which include 3 centuries as well.
Although Shubman Gill performed well in the pacy and bouncy conditions in Australia, he has faltered ever since. His weakness against the moving ball was exposed in the home series against England and the WTC Final. Since the conditions in England and Australia differ, it may be time to go back to Agarwal in order to maximize his potential.
3) Shardul Thakur/Siraj in place of Ishant Sharma/Mohammed Shami
Siraj’s rise in Test cricket has been phenomenal. Predominantly a swing bowler, he can make use of the helpful conditions that the English weather might have to offer. In the WTC Final against New Zealand, the lack of an out-and-out swing bowler definitely left a gaping hole in terms of variety in the pace attack.
Since India’s best swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar is not fit enough to make the Test side, Siraj could make an appearance in the side. Another option for Team India will be Shardul Thakur. The all-rounder from Maharashtra had a stunning debut in the series against Australia.
He picked up a total of 7 wickets in India’s famous win at the Gabba. With the bat in hand, he scored 67 in the first innings and his partnership with Washington Sundar was crucial to help India close in on Australia’s first innings total. The ‘tail-enders for India haven’t been able to contribute much in terms of batting so Thakur’s inclusion can definitely add some zing to the lower batting order.
