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Can India abandon their conservative selection approach and bravely aim for 20 wickets in the second Test against England?
Kuldeep Yadav could be India’s X-Factor in the second Test. (Image: kuldeep_18/Instagram)
India need to abandon their conservative selection strategy and give themselves the best chance to take 20 wickets on the expected batting surface for the second Test against England, starting Wednesday.
According to the team management, India missed a specialist bowler in Leeds, specifically Kuldeep Yadav, as England easily chased down a record 371 on the fifth day of a game that the visitors should have won.
Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate mentioned that India is struggling to find a team combination that maintains batting depth while having bowlers capable of taking 20 wickets.
“In terms of managing the strategy there, we’re looking at each bowler individually, feeling what we feel they can get wickets-wise. And then it’s just trying to balance up and trying to calculate as best you can what the best chance of getting into the Test match.”
“But you need 20 wickets. So the attacking party is obviously finding someone who can get wickets as well. And we are grappling with that. We don’t stop talking about that. We’re trying to figure it out,” Doeschate admitted.
The weather has been rather hot in Birmingham, and the surface, covered with a decent layer of grass, is dry underneath.
Three years ago on this very ground, England had chased down a daunting 378 with ease to draw the series. Recently, the same pitch has provided plenty of runs for batters in county cricket.
The spinners will eventually come into play, and India needs to decide whether to include Washington Sundar to assist Ravindra Jadeja or to select Kuldeep, who is a better wicket-taking option. It is confirmed that India will go with two spinners.
Shardul Thakur was the fast bowling all-rounder in Leeds, but it is likely that batting all-rounder Nitish Reddy will start on Wednesday.
Thakur did not have the best performance, but dropping him after one opportunity would be borderline harsh.
A question mark remains over Jasprit Bumrah’s availability. If he does not play the second of his allotted three Tests, the pace line-up is expected to comprise Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Prasidh Krishna.
With Bumrah difficult to handle at the other end, the pacers lacked the required consistency in their lengths to test England’s batters.
They would be wiser from that experience and, if Bumrah does not play, will have a lot to prove.
Jadeja, who could not capitalise on a turning pitch on day five at Headingley, will be eager to make an impact as well.
India’s catching must improve significantly after the horror show at Leeds, which cost Yashasvi Jaiswal his spot in the slip cordon.
The batting department appears settled, though India will be desperate to add runs late in the innings after two lower-order collapses that cost them dearly.
Players like K L Rahul, Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, and captain Shubman Gill will aim to build on their gains from the series opener.
Rookie Sai Sudharsan and comeback player Karun Nair are certain to get another opportunity after an underwhelming start to the series.
England, on the other hand, seem to have refined their ‘Bazball’ approach, which now gives due respect to the conditions and the bowlers.
Expected to make a comeback, Jofra Archer has withdrawn from the match due to a family emergency, but the Chris Woakes-led pace attack would be high on confidence after twice cleaning up India’s tail, allowing the hosts to make a comeback in the contest.
As a home hero, Woakes will be expected to provide breakthroughs with the new ball after low returns in Leeds. Josh Tongue will be keen to exploit India’s fragile lower order.
Brydon Carse improved as the game progressed, while skipper Ben Stokes extracted the most from the conditions.
Sporting wickets have also supported England’s aggressive batting style, and this trend is likely to continue.
Squads:
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.
India: Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
(With PTI Inputs)
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A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses, features, live scores, results, stats and everything that’s cricket from all over the globe. Follow @cricketnext
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