This defeat surfaced numerous issues with India’s Test side as they endure a transition.
India suffered a massive defeat against England by five wickets in the first Test at Headingley. This defeat surfaced numerous issues with India’s Test side as they endure a transition. As a batting unit, they did reasonably well in both innings, even though they left runs on both occasions.
However, their bowling was particularly unimpressive, especially from the non-Bumrah end, as they failed to take wickets and let England score freely. All speedsters, barring Bumrah, lacked control with the ball against an aggressive batting unit. Even Ravindra Jadeja, the only spin option, couldn’t land his deliveries as precisely as he would have liked.
We see three changes India might make for the second ENG vs IND Test in Birmingham.
Karun Nair’s return to Test cricket after eight years wasn’t as smooth as he would have liked. He made a duck in the first innings and scored 20 in the second, and never looked settled in that role. Hence, India might ponder dropping him to accommodate Dhruv Jurel at No.6
Nair is a quality batter but might not be suited for batting in the lower middle order, given he has hardly done it in his career. On the other hand, Jurel has batted at No.6 or below in every Test innings of his young career and performed well. He might be more accustomed to this role, given that he understands the tempo better and knows how to approach ahead while batting with the tailenders.
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Shardul Thakur played the first Test to provide some batting depth and act as the fourth seamer. Unfortunately, he failed to do both roles and was mightily inconsistent with his plans. As a batter, he played reckless shots in both innings and lacked control as a bowler.
Hence, India must bring in another spin option in Kuldeep Yadav, who can be a threatening weapon on these surfaces. India missed a trick by not playing him at Headingley, for he could have targeted the rough better than Jadeja and wreaked havoc on the final day. Even as a batter, Kuldeep is competent enough to provide support to specialist batters and has played a few good hands in the past.
India picked Prasidh Krishna for his ability to generate extra bounce, but this Test showed he might not be ready yet. He didn’t bowl to English lengths and was mostly short. Even while trying the bouncer plan, he was not as consistent and lacked control.
Hence, India might look to bring Arshdeep Singh, who is more suited to English conditions and can swing the ball. His natural lengths will be fuller than Krishna’s, which will automatically generate more false shots. Further, he brings variety to the bowling unit since he is a left-arm pacer, and English batters can struggle against him.
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