Following the defeat at the hands of the New Zealand side in the WTC Final, India came under heavy criticism for their performance and the team combination. None of the players were able to make a significant contribution with the willow, with the top score being Ajinkya Rahane’s 49 in the first innings.
For the first time since 2018 at Lord’s, none of the Indian batsmen were able to score a half-century in the match. That pretty much sums up the performance and especially against a top-quality side like New Zealand, who just recently defeated England 1-0, it just wasn’t going to cut it.
The bowlers, particularly the pacers, were not up to the mark either. The troika of Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammad Shami were unable to match their Kiwi counterparts in the level of bowling on display.
No matter how many times rahane pujara gill fail
They will have thier spot
2 bad matches for mayank and u guys showed the him the exit? pic.twitter.com/uBmEUbJWaN— Rajveer (@rajveerxy) June 23, 2021
With the second cycle of the WTC getting underway in August, India needs to pull up their socks if they’re to challenge England away. Here are 3 changes that the Indian team can make against England:
1) Hanuma Vihari in place of Ravichandran Ashwin/Ravindra Jadeja
Because of Rishabh Pant’s sublime form of late, skipper Kohli likes playing with 5 bowlers alongside 6 specialist batsmen. However, the way Indian batting flustered the moment Kohli got out in both the innings, a lot of things need to be pondered over, especially the depth in the batting line-up.
A specialist batsman like Vihari could definitely bulk up the batting line-up albeit at the loss of a spinner, i.e. Ravindra Jadeja or Ravichandran Ashwin. Weighing in the fact that Vihari has been practicing with Warwickshire in the county, he can certainly add a bit of depth to the batting order of Team India.
His temperament in tough foreign conditions was on display during the third Test against Australia in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Partnered alongside Ashwin, Vihari played out 161 balls for 23 runs to save India from a precarious position. Therefore, he definitely warrants at least being considered in the side.
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.