England vs India 2018: Ravi Shastri admits it was a mistake to play two spinners at Lord's

Ahead of the third Test at Nottingham, India coach Ravi Shastri admitted that it was an "error" to go in with two spinners for the second Test at Lord's, which India lost by an innings and 159 runs to go 0-2 down in the five-match Test series against England.

Instead of going with three seamers, India went with Kuldeep Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin and just Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma as the front-line seamers. The move backfired as Kuldeep went wicketless even as England's seamers ran riot and India's third seam bowler, Hardik Pandya, picked up three wickets.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the third Test at Trent Bridge on Saturday, Shastri admitted that a third seamer would have been a better option.

"In hindsight, it was an error. Seeing the conditions, we could have gone with an extra seamer that might have helped. There again, we didn't know how much it would rain, whether a match would go into the final and just in case, the spinner is needed and the ball starts to turn, would we have needed him.

"In hindsight, the way things panned out, the amount it rained, the amount of time we lost, yes, seamer could have been a better option," Shastri added.

Shastri also backed Ajinkya Rahane to come good and said that it was unfair to criticise just him when most of the batsmen from both sides have struggled.

"I do not think it is fair to single out any one player. Batsmen from both teams have struggled. It is a case of mental resolve, how you put mind over matter and mental discipline will be key for the batsmen going forward as well. (Rahane) He is one of our pillars, he will remain one of our pillars," he added.

He also wanted the batsmen to show some character and mental discipline going forward but gave no inclination as to whether Rishabh Pant will be making his Test debut at Trent Bridge. When asked about the addition of Pant, Shastri was mum but added that Kohli is feeling much better and improving every day.

"About Rishabh, you will know at 11 the day after," he said.