England vs India 2018, Tests: 3 reasons why India’s series defeat doesn’t come as a shock

#2 India’s dubious selections throughout the series

The exclusion of Jadeja is indeed baffling

India, one must say have played a part in their downfall in this test series against England. With Murali Vijay being the highest run-scorer for India in their 2014 tour of England, one expected the current team management to persist with a player of his caliber to come good.

However, after two test matches, to be frank, Murali Vijay looked utterly out of sorts, he was sent home- which certainly doesn’t help his confidence. And the persistent backing of players like KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan, when neither batsmen have added much value is baffling.

Apart from India’s openers which is a significant cause for concern is probably the strength and depth of their middle order. With the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara not at their fluent best and with Hardik Pandya coming in at number 6, shouldn’t India have played Karun Nair? He is after all selected in the squad as a specialist batsman. He could have provided the much-needed stability which this middle order has lacked.

The continuous backing of Hardik Pandya and the snub given to Ravindra Jadeja is another point of debate. What was baffling being on the back of a fantastic ODI and T20I series, Kuldeep Yadav getting the nod ahead of Ravindra Jadeja? That dubious selection misfired. Virat Kohli’s instinctive selection style is not really reaping rich dividends in this series.

So, although India have fought hard, shown good resolve and technique, they have let themselves down by not picking the right playing X1 for a game, and that is why the series outcome is not that shocking.