And we are on to the final Test of the IND vs ENG series, that starts on Thursday. As always, there is a lot of Team India’s plate at the moment. Not only they are trailing 1-2, but face the risk of losing their first-ever series against England since 2018. Despite some solid performances with this young brigade, where batting has been largely satisfying, bowling and team combination have emerged as major issues, which need to be resolved now.
In short, there are a few areas that need to be taken care of.
Dhruv Jurel Needs to Step up in Rishabh Pant’s Absence
Rishabh Pant was excellent with the bat in the series. In the four matches, he went on to score 479 runs at an average of 68, that also include two tons. But now, he is out injured, and he will be replaced by Dhruv Jurel. The latter is no less with the bat, but then it can be difficult for him to straightaway come into the team, and start scoring big runs.
But then, that is exactly what would coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Shubman Gill would need of him, in the absence of the vice-captain. The 24-year-old has played 4 matches till now, where he has scored 202 runs, at an average of 40. Him coming good would really serve India’s interests well.
Shubman Gill Needs to Trust his Spinners More
This aspect has hurt India the most. Traditionally, our spinners are great in any conditions, while team like England might not be best equipped to handle spin for long durations. So, if pacers aren’t getting wickets, Gill needs to invest a lot more time in bowling spin. That would also ensure that India don’t leak a lot of runs, which they are guilty of doing in the last 4 Tests.
Washington Sundar has looked the best spinner, but was only introduced in the 68th over, in the Manchester Test. In 3 matches, he has bowled only 70 overs. Mind you, he has picked up 7 wickets. Ravindra Jadeja, on the other hand, has bowled 136 overs — picking 7 wickets too.
Get in Kuldeep Yadav
Mohammed Siraj isn’t out-and-out wicket-taker. So isn’t Shardul Thakur, and similar is the case with Prasidh Krishna. With Jasprit Bumrah gone, India need a weapon in their arsenal, who threatens to take a wicket whenever he comes on to bowl. Without him, getting 20 wickets would look impossible.
It is not a given, that he will succeed, but still the right selection needs to be done. In 13 matches, he has picked up 56 wickets and his last Test was in October 2024.
Pacers Need to be Economical
Bumrah has been the most economical Indian pacer — giving 3.04 rpo. Siraj has given runs at 4 rpo, Akash Deep lies low at 4.28, Shardul has been poor at 5.33, while Prasidh has been the worst at 5.34. Debutant from the previous match, Anshul Kamboj also ended with an economy of 4.94. So, that could be a worrying sign for India.
Pick Best XI, Gautam Gambhir
India’s playing XIs, in all the four matches have been rather questionable. Gambhir’s fascination with all-rounders has put the team in some bad situations. Shardul, who is picked as an all-rounder, bowls only 11 overs, while Washi too is underused as a bowler. So, now it is time to pick specialist wherever needed.
Firstly, the team needs to get rid of Shardul. Instead, a proper bowler inp Kuldeep needs a place. That means three spinners, and three pacers in the team, along with five batters.
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