3 reasons why India should play the same XI in the third Test
The expectations when India landed in England for the 5 Test match series were really high. They came to England with a side that looked good enough to create history.
But things changed so quickly in just a couple of Test matches. After the defeat at Lord's which brought back the harsh memories of the 2011 and 2014 England tours, the same fans who were cheering the likes of Rahane and Rahul are now demanding their removal from the playing 11.
But here's why India should play with an unchanged XI;
#3 Everyone has failed to perform
Nobody other than Virat Kohli has made an impact in the batting department. Everyone has failed horribly against Anderson and co. It would be wrong and unfair to single out particular players when clearly everyone has failed to perform.
#2 The bench strength
Even if India were to make changes in the squad, what are the options they have at their disposal?
Shikhar Dhawan was dropped after the first Test match. India can't go back to him after one Test match when he clearly wasn't considered good enough to play the 2nd match. When players like Rahane and Vijay, who were supposed to be the best players for India in these conditions, aren't performing, expecting Karun Nair to come out and play better than these players would be too much.
Bringing in Rishabh Pant in place of Dinesh Karthik looks tempting and if the net sessions are taken into account, this change will probably happen for the third Test.
But it's one thing making runs in home conditions and in the IPL. It's a different kettle of fish squaring off against world class bowlers in such difficult conditions. Karthik deserves another chance.
#1 Continuity
In the 37 matches Virat Kohli has been the captain, he has never played the same XI in consecutive matches. This wasn't much of a problem against easier opponents and in home conditions.
But that is proving to be an issue now. No one other than Kohli has a guaranteed spot for the next match. A player cannot play with a free mindset in these conditions when he isn't even sure of his place in the side.
Virat Kohli and the team management need to identify who their best players are and they need to give them a longer rope.