India's batting corrigendum on swinging tracks

India arrived in England with a lot of promise and willing to justify their numero uno ranking in Tests. They started off with guns blazing in T20s and followed it up with a superlative performance in ODIs as well. But the real Test(literally) awaited them.

They started off well in the first Test when their depleted bowling attack managed to fold the strong English batting line-up under 300 in the first innings. This was a remarkable feat as Indians were missing their premier pace bowler, Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Indians bowlers made sure that Bhuvi was not missed. R Ashwin bowled with a vengeance as if to prove that he is still a potent force in tests. He amassed 4 wickets and was the wrecker-in-chief to restrict English to 287 in their first innings.

Indian openers started really well and were soon 50 without loss. It looked as if the ball had stopped swinging and even the English captain requested umpires to change the ball. One felt, Indians had wrested the demons of the past and everything was going as per a perfect written script.

Unfortunately, for Indian fans, this was short-lived. Root handed over the ball to the 20-year-old, Curran, playing only his second Test. Suddenly, the ball started to swing viciously and Indian openers were in all sorts of trouble. Within no time, India were 3 down and it was down to the Indian captain to salvage the situation. Kohli was here to prove a point as he had a disastrous tour last time around.

He was determined to prove his mettle against the swinging ball, which was not long ago considered his weakness. James Anderson was brought into the attack and what ensued after was a spectacle to behold. One of the best swing bowlers of modern era against world's top batsman. Kohli kept his cool and avoided the temptation of going after the balls outside his off stump. Meanwhile, he kept losing partners at the other end.

Patience and determination paid off and he scored his first century on English soil. Not only he scored a century, but he also ensured that India had a deficit of only 13 runs.

Indian bowlers were even better in the second innings. They bowled out England for a paltry 180. India were to chase down 193 for a win, which by any standards was not easy on swing track but it was not impossible as well. Indian batsmen again failed miserably and except for Kohli, none of the batsmen were able to negotiate the swinging ball. The demons of the past have come back to haunt the Indian batters. This resulted in India losing the test by 31 runs.

There have been questions raised on Dhawan's technique and Rahul's selection ahead of Pujara. Kohli has desired to have players in the eleven who can play an attacking brand of cricket. He had done the same in the past when he went in for Rohit Sharma in place of Pujara. This did not prove to be a good idea and soon Pujara was brought back.

He answered that with a superb hundred and now Rohit does not even feature in the Test team. Rahane is playing with a lot of promise but over the last two years, his form seems to have deserted him. Owing to his inconsistency, the vice-captain was dropped for the first and second tests against the Proteas earlier this year.

Kohli and the management came in with a lot of criticism as India lost the tests. Finally, Rahane was roped in for the final test and he played a splendid innings which proved to be pivotal in India registering a win.

How should India go about the selection in the 2nd test that begins on 9th August? No doubt, the bowlers will keep their place owing to their splendid display. Batting has to be strengthened by replacing Rahul with Pujara. There is also a school of thought which wants to make the batting more heavy by replacing Pandya with Pujara. I beg to disagree with that. Pandya is a true all-rounder. He has proven time again what he can do with both bat and bowl. Add to that he is an excellent fielder. Indian batsmen have to gear up for the challenge ahead and provide their captain support in the middle. As if now it seems that Kohli is fighting a lone battle.

My line-up for the second test would be: Dhawan, Vijay, Pujara, Kohli, Rahane, Karthik, Pandya, Ashwin, Shami, Ishant, Yadav