5 changes India must make to bounce back at the Gabba

Team India may have lost at Adelaide, but if the aggressive intent of the stand in captain Virat Kohli was an indication of things to come, the team is not ready to go down without a fight. With plenty of voices calling for making Virat Kohli the permanent captain of the side, the focus will now be on the experienced Mahendra Singh Dhoni. But, now is not the time for scrutiny and captaincy debates, but the time to get the team balance and strategy right, whoever may be the captain. If India wants to turn the tables around at the Gabba, here are some changes from the Adelaide test that they need to make in terms of strategy and team changes.

#1 The new ball combination:

Umesh Yadav during the tour match between Cricket Australia XI and India in Adelaide on December 4

With Bhuvaneshwar Kumar on the sidelines with an injury, the team is struggling to come up with a potent new ball attack that can provide initial breakthroughs. The team tested Varun Aaron with the new ball, but the young bowler struggled to control the swing and sprayed the ball all over the wicket. This enabled David Warner to get off to a flying start.

Umesh Yadav who was not picked in the playing XI, should be sharing the new ball with Mohammad Shami in Bhuvi’s absence. Umesh had a good outing in Australia last time around, and with his improved control, there is no reason why he will not trouble the Aussies.

Bowling at a lively pace with late swing is what he is well capable of.

#2 5-bowler strategy

Ishant Sharma should lead the Indian bowling attac

One very important point to note is that, in spite of coming close to winning the match at Adelaide, the Indian bowlers could pick up only 12 wickets, which Nathan Lyon alone managed for the Aussies. This clearly highlights the lack of penetration in our bowling. The team should realize the importance of taking 20 wickets and must look to drop a batsman for Umesh Yadav.

The Gabba surface has a record of aiding fast bowlers and hence, it would be ideal if India goes in with 4 fast bowlers and a lone spinner.The team’s decision to go with an extra batsman in the form of Rohit Sharma, did not produce the desired result. They looked one bowler short. The other three fast bowlers must be Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma and Varun Aaron.

#3 The lone spinner

Ravichandran Ashwin must play as the lone spinner

Karn Sharma had a debut which he would like to forget very soon. Though he was playing his first Test match and it would be very hard to judge him after just one match, he was very flat in his trajectory and hardly looked like troubling the batsmen on a pitch that was tailor made for spinners.

He was still afraid of getting hit and was stuck in the T20 mode. Wrist spinners have am added advantage of bounce at the Gabba, but given the lacklustre showing of the leggie, they will have to swap him with the more experienced Ashwin.

Apart from his bowling, what will work in Ashwin’s favour is his batting credentials. He cuts and pulls the ball very well and is a free flowing stroke maker down the order, which will give the team the cushion of playing an extra bowler.

#4 Tackling Nathan Lyon

Indian batsmen should take lessons from Virat Kohli on tackling Nathan Lyon

Barring Virat Kohli and Murali Vijay, the Indians looked very ordinary against Nathan Lyon’s off spinners. They were neither forward nor backward and just planted their foot forward in the hope that they would get to the pitch of the ball. Even the most technically accomplished player in the team, Cheteshwar Pujara made the same mistake.

Though the pitch at Brisbane might not assist Lyon much, the Indians must make sure they do not give him cheap wickets. They must look to be positive against Lyon and put him under the pump straight away.

Positive means not only coming down the track, but also rocking back deep into the crease to use the bounce to score runs.

#5 The opening slot

Lokesh Rahul must be given a chance

Shikhar Dhawan has not been in the best of form since the England tour. He has looked scratchy and has not made any significant contribution for a while now. His temperament remains a huge question mark. While Murali Vijay is holding one end up, he has seen his partners at the other end fail on a regular basis for quite some time now.

Though the team has been reluctant to drop Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul is one option that they should seriously consider. Given the Karnataka lad’s strong showing with the bat consistently, it is time that he gets a chance to show his prowess at the biggest stage.

Lokesh is not short of talent and he has been effusively praised by Rahul Dravid for his technique and temperament. Though the change is the most unlikely of the rest, it will be worth giving it a shot.