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Trust the Experienced Quicks- No Hardik Pandya
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.
