England vs India 2018: 5 selections that India should make for the 1st Test

In a few decades, perhaps cricket historians from India will look back on the 2017-18 series between India and South Africa. They will wonder about how India lost their best opportunity to beat South Africa away from home, and in the end, their conclusions will mainly pertain to the team selections by Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri.

The team management did not choose to play their second-best overseas batsman Ajinkya Rahane in the first two Tests, while star pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was dropped for the second Test. Those selections were certainly factors in India’s losses in the first two Tests, as proved by Rahane and Kumar’s performances in the final consolation victory.

Now, as India embark on another overseas tour to England, the selections made by Kohli and Shastri will again help determine the fate of the series. India’s starting lineup Is definitely not set, with discussions pertaining to team composition (four or five bowlers), the openers, the wicketkeeper and bowling attack. So what are the choices that India should make with regards to the first test?

Note: All Statistics (including in the graph) compiled from ESPNCricinfo

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Play Five Bowlers

There has been a lot of discussion surrounding the overall team composition, with many wondering if the team management should deviate from its usual strategy of playing six batsmen (including the wicket-keepers) and five bowlers. The argument goes that India should add an extra batsman considering their traditional struggles with English bowling.

However, this would be a flawed strategy considering that India’s biggest problem in overseas conditions tends to be their bowling attack. India have enough classy batsmen to ensure that the team can make a score above 300 in the first innings. After all, most of India’s wins overseas have come as a result of great bowling. Thus selecting five bowlers needs to be the way to go.

Go with Two Spinners- Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav

England v India: 2nd Investec Test - Day Four

Whenever India leave the subcontinent (except for the West Indies), the tendency of the management is to select one spinner. English pitches, however, have turned a lot over the last few seasons, especially in later in the season- Moeen Ali took 25 wickets in four tests against South Africa last summer. Thus, the Edgbaston pitch may be drier than expected, and even England have selected two spinners in their squad.

Moreover, considering the injuries to Bhuvi and Bumrah, the pace attack lacks teeth. Therefore, India should trust their best bowlers: the spinners. There might be an inclination to pick Ravichandran Ashwin, because of his experience and recent success.

However, India should instead go with Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja. Ashwin’s record in Australia, South Africa and England is abysmal with an average of 50.74 in those countries.

Yadav is untested in these conditions but his wicket-taking in the ODI series showed that he can flourish in these conditions. Moreover, the English batsmen were completely at sea against him, and this bodes well for the Test series. Yadav has flourished in the tests he has played so far (taking two four-wicket hauls in two tests), showing that he has the requisite temperament.

Between Ashwin and Jadeja, the latter should be preferred simply because of his relative success in adverse conditions. Jadeja’s average in England, South Africa and New Zealand is a slightly less abysmal 46.16.

Moreover, Jadeja can keep it tight: his economy rate in these countries is 2.70 compared to Ashwin’s 3.18. The Saurashtra all-rounder can also provide an attacking dimension to the batting lineup, as proven by his vital innings in the 2014 Lord’s Test (Ashwin may be an equal batsman but he doesn’t provide the same attacking verve needed in the lower order). Thus, Kohli should make the unpopular decision of dropping Ashwin and playing Kuldeep and Jadeja.

Trust the Experienced Quicks- No Hardik Pandya

Australia v India: 3rd Test - Day 4

The injuries to Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah have greatly decreased the chances of India winning this series. Kumar’s swing bowling and Bumrah’s ability to bowl from an awkward angle were vital to India’s chances in this test series. While both may be back in the later Tests, they will be missing in Edgbaston.

Many will be clamoring for the selection of Hardik Pandya- after all, the Mumbai Indians all-rounder is the first effective pace-bowling all-rounder India have had since Manoj Prabhakar. He showed his ability to slog India out of trouble in the first Test against South Africa and his fielding is also excellent.

However, selecting Pandya would be the wrong decision simply because in England, he will likely be a bit-part player without the ability to contribute with either ball or bat. Pandya hasn’t bowled well in Test cricket so far (with a bowling average of 40.14) and he would likely provide a release valve to English batsmen. Furthermore, Pandya’s additional batting is also uncertain considering that both of his 90+ innings so far in test cricket have been rather fluky (with several edges and drops).

Thus, India should instead trust their three most experienced pacers: Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav. None of them provide the same batting contributions as Pandya (though Yadav has a first-class hundred), but their bowling is so much more effective that it more than makes up for Pandya’s batting.

Sharma has become more consistent over the past year and showed in his Lord’s 2014 spell that he has the ability to bounce out the English batters (their lineup hasn’t changed significantly). Similarly, Yadav has improved his line and length as shown by his spell against Essex in the warm-up game (picking up four wickets). Yadav’s combination of pace and late swing can be deadly when he manages to pitch the ball in the right areas and that makes him a definite selection.

Finally, Shami may have struggled with personal and injury issues recently, but his ability to swing the ball is invaluable in England. Thus, Shardul Thakur and Pandya will have to wait their turn, as they do not have the ‘bankable’ skills needed if India are going to take 20 wickets.

Open with Murali Vijay and KL Rahul

Leicestershire v India - Tour Match

Shikhar Dhawan is a good Test batsman…………………..in familiar conditions against sub-par opposition. Only one of his Test hundreds has come outside the subcontinent, and that too on a very flat pitch in Auckland. Moreover, James Anderson and Stuart Broad are probably licking their lips at the thought of Dhawan trying to drive outside the off-stump in English conditions.

Unlike Dhawan, KL Rahul and Murali Vijay are not going to get themselves out. Both of them have solid techniques. Vijay especially has been extremely effective in conditions outside Asia- he scored a brilliant hundred at Trent Bridge on the last tour to England. Rahul is far more inexperienced in such conditions but his knock in Sydney in his second Test showed that he can easily handle pace bowling.

Vijay has developed an inconsistent streak which prevents him from being considered a truly great Test opener. Meanwhile, Rahul also has a tendency to get out early in his innings. Nonetheless, both of their records outside Asia are better than Dhawan’s as proved by the below graph:

All Statistics complied from ESPNCricinfo

Use Dinesh Karthik instead of Rishabh Pant

Third Test: England v India - Day One

Over the past four years, there hasn’t been much change in the Indian squad. While injuries have given chances to some debutants, the injured players have eventually returned and reclaimed their spots no matter how well the newcomers did (Karun Nair being a good example). The only spot in which there has been any real turnover is the wicket-keeper after the retirement of MS Dhoni.

Indian fans have not really been able to see the rise of a new young star in test cricket recently. However, in this series, a major spot has opened up with the injury of first-choice wicketkeeper Wridhimman Saha. Now many fans are clamouring for the inclusion of Rishabh Pant- after all, the Delhi batsman is the type of young attacking star that Indian fans haven’t seen in Test cricket for a long time.

However, the team management should resist the temptation to give Pant a debut and instead trust the experienced Dinesh Karthik. In India’s last series win in England in 2007, Karthik was one of India’s most important players (hitting three fifties in three tests), as he soaked up pressure and helped shield India’s star-studded middle order from the new ball. This skill will be similarly vital if Karthik were to bat at No.6 as he would likely have to face the second new ball on several occasions.

Moreover, Karthik has improved his keeping and is also superior to the inexperienced Pant in that department. Thus considering Karthik’s superior batting and keeping, he should be the choice for the first test. Pant’s time will come but this series against England is simply too vital to be risked.