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

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