3 focus areas for India ahead of rescheduled Test vs England

Team India are in the UK to prepare for the rescheduled Test against England, which will begin at Edgbaston in Birmingham on July 1. The visitors have a chance to find some rhythm during their ongoing four-day warm-up match against Leicestershire, which began on Thursday (June 23) in Leicester.

India were 2-1 up in the four-match series last year when the last Test at Old Trafford in Manchester was canceled due to COVID-19. A lot has changed since India’s previous tour of the UK. Both teams have new captains and coaches. While India have the calm and collected Rohit Sharma-Rahul Dravid combo, England possess the dynamic duo of Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum.

The visitors won’t find things easy against a revitalized England outfit, who have displayed excellent form against New Zealand. Team India themselves have a few issues to deal with.

Here are three focus areas for Rohit Sharma and Co. ahead of the Edgbaston Test.

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#1 Form of key batters - Rohit, Kohli, Pant

(LtoR) Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Pics: Getty Images

While the Indian batting looks strong on paper, the form of most of the big names is a cause for concern heading into the rescheduled Test. Skipper Rohit Sharma displayed wonderful form when India were in England last year.

He was the visitors’ top run-getter with 368 runs in four matches at an average of 52.57. However, he hasn’t been as convincing with the willow ever since taking over leadership. Even on Day 1 of the warm-up game against Leicestershire, he scored a scratchy 25 off 47.

There seems to be no end to Virat Kohli’s batting woes, irrespective of which format he plays. He had a disappointing IPL 2022 season and wasn’t in great touch during the preceding two-match home series against Sri Lanka as well.

Even Indian legend Kapil Dev has expressed concern over Kohli’s lean patch, lamenting the fact that the 33-year-old hasn’t scored a century since November 2019.

The lack of runs from keeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s willow will also worry the Team India think tank. Performing the duties of stand-in captain during the T20Is against South Africa at home, Pant was outfoxed by the Proteas bowlers, who forced him into rash strokes outside the off stump.

The aggressive left-hander did impress in the Tests in South Africa and the home series against Sri Lanka. However, his recent form points towards a batter dealing with a muddled mindset.

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#2 The No. 3 conundrum - Vihari or Pujara?

Cheteshwar Pujara (left) celebrates with Hanuma Vihari after scoring a century during the 2019 Sydney Test. Pic: Getty Images

Cheteshwar Pujara earned a recall into the Indian team on the basis of his stupendous performance for Sussex in county cricket. He amassed 720 runs in five matches at an average of 120. Pujara scored four hundreds, with two of them being double centuries. However, will Team India directly draft him into the playing XI for the rescheduled Test against England?

After a prolonged poor run, he was dropped for the Tests against Sri Lanka along with Ajinkya Rahane. In Pujara’s absence, Hanuma Vihari was given the No. 3 slot for the two Tests against Sri Lanka at home.

While he did not notch up a big score, the 28-year-old batter did a decent job, registering scores of 58, 31 and 35. It would be unfair to drop him from the playing XI without giving him a big enough rope to prove his credentials.

The big question, however, is - will the management ignore Pujara’s brilliant recent run with the bat, particularly considering that the runs came in England? A tricky decision for sure.

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#3 Ashwin or Jadeja as lead spinner?

Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin rarely feature in the same playing XI in overseas Tests. Pic: Getty Images

When Team India were in England last year, left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja featured in all four Tests. On pitches that did not have much to offer, he did a decent job, claiming six wickets.

At the same time, many critics questioned the decision to leave out seasoned off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who is India’s second-highest Test wicket-taker. The 35-year-old may not possess a great overseas record, but he did play a significant role in the team’s famous series win in Australia earlier in the year.

Both Jadeja and Ashwin are fighting their own battles ahead of the rescheduled Test in England. Jadeja had a disastrous IPL 2022 season with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), which ended prematurely following an injury. Ashwin, on the other hand, did not fly to the UK with the other members of the Indian Test team after testing positive for COVID-19.

After recovering from the virus, he has joined the Indian squad in Leicester, where the visitors are playing a four-day warm-up match. Ashwin is expected to be fit for the Test in Birmingham. In that case, the management might have to make a tough call between picking Ashwin and Jadeja in the playing XI.

If the pitch at Edgbaston is seen as one likely to assist turn, India might play both the spinners. But that looks like a distant possibility. The Virat Kohli-Ravi Shastri combo preferred Jadeja as their lead spinner in England last year. What will the Rohit Sharma-Rahul Dravid pair settle for? We will know on July 1.

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