3 things India could've done differently on Day 1 of the 2nd Test against England
After their 28-run defeat in the opening Test in Hyderabad, India's performance on Day 1 of the second Test was always going to be watched closely. And while the hosts reached a decent position by Stumps in Vizag, they didn't seem to be at their dominant best.
Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat on a relatively docile surface. The hosts struggled to stitch together partnerships as Yashasvi Jaiswal saw wickets fall consistently at the other end.
Jaiswal hung in there and made an incredible 179*, but India lost six wickets and need some rearguard action from the tail if they are to reach a sizable first-innings score. It wasn't anywhere close to a perfect day from Rohit and his men.
Here are three things India could've done differently on Day 1 of the second Test against England.
#3 Did India get their batting order wrong once again?
India made some minor tweaks to their batting order for the second Test. Shreyas Iyer moved up to No. 4, with debutant Rajat Patidar filling in at No. 5. The duo were followed by Axar Patel.
However, did the hosts get their batting order wrong in Vizag? Patidar, who is arguably more technically sound than Shreyas, could have come in at No. 4 as a straight swap for KL Rahul. Meanwhile, when Axar came to the crease, that made a left-left combination for India, who could've promoted KS Bharat after his promising contributions in Hyderabad.
Perhaps the most questionable decision was allowing Shubman Gill to stay at No. 3, where he doesn't have a single fifty to his name in 12 innings. The 24-year-old is clearly more suited to a role lower in the order, and Patidar could have been promoted to No. 3.
#2 India played loose shots to lose six wickets on Day 1
At the end of the day, the batting order doesn't really mean much on a docile pitch like the one in Vizag if the batters play patiently and responsibly. However, Jaiswal was the only man to get stuck in as India lost six wickets despite the bowlers not finding much assistance.
Gill was sent back by Jimmy Anderson, who harried the batter in the fourth-stump channel before finding the edge. Apart from that wicket, which was down to Anderson's skill and Gill's technical weaknesses, the others were practically gifted to the visitors.
Axar and Bharat found fielders off short deliveries, while Shreyas got an under-edge that was held well by Ben Foakes. Rohit tamely turned a gentle delivery from debutant Shoaib Bashir straight to leg slip. Patidar, on the other hand, played one onto his stumps off the full face of his bat.
India needed to be more patient on Day 1, when they went looking for runs without much focus and paid the price for the same.
#1 India should've selected an additional batter or all-rounder
India had two holes to fill in the middle order, with Rahul and Jadeja ruled out of the second Test. They weren't willing to compromise on their bowling options and decided to weaken the batting instead.
That wasn't a smart idea, with India losing six wickets on the opening day and now facing a fight to reach a challenging first-innings total. Had they fielded either Sarfaraz Khan or Washington Sundar, or both, they would've had enough might to ensure that they can get ahead of the game.
Now, however, India need to hope that Jaiswal and the tail produce something special on Day 2.