The first Test in Pune was a debacle in every sense for the Indian Cricket team. The Virat Kohli-led team was brought crashing down on a surface where the hosts were expected to walk all over the Australians. 333 runs was the difference between the two teams and despite the difficult surface, this was a colossal defeat for the team which was unbeaten for 19 Tests.
There will be plenty of bruised egos in the Indian camp and as Kohli and his boys look to launch a counterattack, there are few tweaks they should make to their approach going into the second Test in Bangalore.
Extra Cover: Pune pitch rated as poor by ICC match referee
The team composition needs a relook and knowing Virat Kohli and his tinkering traits one would not be surprised if he goes into the second Test with a new team.
Here in this list, we advocate for the inclusion of a specialist batsman in Karun Nair instead of Jayant Yadav who could miss out.
#5 More depth to the batting
After the miserable meltdown in Pune, India would want a specialist batsman walking out at number 6 to arrest any such slides in the future. Over the years, the Indian batting has been notorious to collapses and the team management would want to iron out this flaw sooner rather than later.
Karun Nair was benched after his superb triple hundred to accommodate Ajinkya Rahane but after the collapse in Pune he should be back in the fray as he has the technique to play spin and when he bats at number 6 he would face spin and reverse swing.
This would also give the top order much-needed cushion which could emancipate them.
#4 Could ease the workload on Ashwin and Jadeja
Both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have blossomed into fine and reliable all-rounder for the Indian team and over the 15 months they have contributed with the bat and have churned out many crucial runs lower down the order.
However, in Pune they failed as they could not withstand the pressure and this in order had a bearing even on their bowling.
A specialist batsman in Karun Nair would take some heat off Ashwin and Jadeja and would help them concentrate more on their bowling.
#3 No bowler would be under bowled
Virat Kohli has always preferred the 5-bowler theory as it gives him a fresh option whenever the other bowlers want a break. However, this can also mean that owing to an extra option one of the bowlers is always under bowled.
Also, spinner always needs a long spell to get into the groove and thus if there are 3 spinners in the squad the captain is bound to get restless and toss the ball to the third spinner if there is nothing happening and the match is drifting along. This does not allow any of the bowlers to get into the spell and work the batsman out.
Hence, when there is enough quality in R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the ranks it is better if India go in with a specialist batsman in Karun Nair.
#2 Karun Nair is in form
Karun Nair was unlucky to miss out against Bangladesh and he was only benched because Ajinkya Rahane was making a comeback from an injury. The right-hander displayed his promise and potential against England in the 5th Test in Chennai when he scored a match-winning triple century and this should be in the team as the number 7 batsman.
Also, he is a very safe slip catcher and this would solve India’s slip-catching woes in the second Test in Bangalore.
#1 Virat Kohli’s captaincy would be tested
After the extended home season, India would now be embarking overseas for the series against South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia. This means that the management would be forced to play with a 7-4 combination and hence Bangalore provides Kohli a golden opportunity to start on this ploy.
Also, it would be interesting to see how Kohli responds to 4 bowlers and the fields he sets for his bowlers, for there will always be periods of play when the match would meander along. Hence, with 4 bowlers up his sleeve, it would challenge the Indian captain to try something new and innovative and this could only augur well for the hosts in the near future.
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