'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAX/2gAIAQEAAAAABN//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAF/9oACAECEAAAADv/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/9oACAEDEAAAAH//xAAhEAACAQIGAwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAwIABAUHERITFSEiQf/aAAgBAQABPwC0y2wPp2W92tzrh5VxN2xM0+ZmWhPyVMyrwqTJFnJvJ9tJGv/EABgRAQADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAhEE/9oACAECAQE/AHsvg4T/xAAYEQACAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDIf/aAAgBAwEBPwCtKT0//9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
India suffered a morale-shattering seven-wicket defeat at Edgbaston earlier today. The Indian bowlers had to defend 378 runs in the fourth innings against England. This is the first time India have lost a Test match while defending 350+ in the fourth innings.
Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Alex Lees, and Zak Crawley tamed the Indian bowlers as they helped England win the match by seven wickets.
Lees and Crawley gave the other batters the perfect platform. While Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Ollie Pope for a duck, Root and Bairstow scored a hundred each to guide England home.
Some fans think the team management might have committed a few errors while selecting the playing XI for this Edgbaston Test match.
In this article, we will look at the three players who could have made a difference if they were selected for the battle against England in Birmingham.
#1 Umesh Yadav - Took six wickets for India in the previous Test on English soil
Last year, when India successfully defended a 368-run target against England despite conceding 100 runs to the opening pair, Umesh Yadav was an important part of the fast bowling attack. The right-arm pacer scalped three wickets in both innings of the Test match.
He enjoyed bowling in the English conditions as he rattled the stumps of an in-form Joe Root during the first innings. Yadav was the pick of the bowlers in both innings for the visitors.
Still, the team management did not name him in the playing XI for this Test. Perhaps Yadav could have made a difference with the ball in the fourth innings.
#2 KS Bharat - Performed well in the practice match
KS Bharat has been one of the top wicket-keepers in Indian domestic cricket over the last few years. However, the rising star is yet to make his Test debut.
After Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul were ruled out of the Edgbaston Test, fans thought that Bharat might finally receive his maiden Test cap.
Bharat was one of the best performers for the visitors in the tour match against Leicestershire, scoring a fifty in both innings, including one as an opener.
However, the team management promoted veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara to the opening batter's role. While Pujara did not do a bad job, he could have done better at his regular number three position.
#3 Ravichandran Ashwin
Many fans and cricket experts were unhappy when the visitors left Ravichandran Ashwin out of playing XI again. He was benched for the entire five-match series against England.
The pitch at Edgbaston also had something on offer for the spinners, which is why it seems the visitors missed a trick by ignoring Ashwin.
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria was also unhappy with the decision as he said on his YouTube channel:
“I just can’t understand the logic of leaving out a world-class bowler like Ashwin. Remember, this is the summer season in England. Everyone knows that during the summer, wickets start helping the spinners late on Day 2 and Day 3. Even yesterday, there were patches on the wicket, which Ashwin could have exploited."
Kaneria concluded by saying that the visitors missed Ashwin dearly in the final match of the Test series against England.
