3 players who need to be fast-tracked into the Indian squad
The second test at Lord's threw up more questions than answers for the Indian team. After a soul-crushing defeat at Edgbaston, they plummeted to new depths in London. With the Indian batting not as bright as the English summer, India need to change something in order to redeem themselves.
Apart from Virat Kohli, none of the Indian batsmen have crossed the 35-run mark across four innings, with Ashwin’s 33 in the second innings at Lords being the best score among them. Kohli and the team management have reiterated that it is the mental aspect of batting which is pulling the team down, rather than technical flaws.
Whatever the case may be, the batting line-up needs to iron out its flaws sooner rather than later. With India 2-0 down, time is running out, and if they are unable to get their act together, they could be staring at another humiliating defeat.
However, if it is a simple case of the current batsmen batting with ‘baggage’, India need to take a tough call and bring in ‘characters’ who are desperate for their time in the sun.
Through this article, we would look at 3 such players who should be fast-tracked into the Indian team and help them put up more of a fight against the English team.
1. Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw is a young batsman from Mumbai who has captured the imagination of every ardent cricket watcher in India. Shaw was the captain of the Indian U-19 team which won the World Cup at the start of the year.
Since then, he has enjoyed a stellar run with the bat and taken his game to the next level under the watchful eyes of Rahul Dravid. Shaw averages 60.78 in First Class cricket with a highest score of 188. He has a good conversion rate as well. Of the 12 times he has crossed 50, he has reached the three-figure mark on 7 occasions.
However, the most exciting aspect of his rise has been his ability to score runs in different environments, including England. When India A toured the United Kingdom, he smashed a blistering 188 off 169 balls against West Indies A. The fact that this innings came when he was on a pair made it better.
In addition to this, he scored a breathtaking hundred against South Africa A in the ongoing series.
Though Shaw has a few technical fallacies, he has found a way to make runs. The current crop of Indian openers can’t seem to buy a run at the moment. Thus, Shaw, a batsman without fear, a batsman without the baggage of failure in England, should be drafted in.
With him in red-hot form, he could prove to be the breath of fresh air to a stale-looking batting line-up. Indians would hope that he carries his First Class form into Test cricket and make a name for himself, like so many Mumbaikars before him.