IND vs ENG 2021: Will adding Mayank Agarwal in the playing XI help beef up the middle-order?
Mayank Agarwal's inclusion in the playing XI may just give India additional firepower in the batting line-up. Indian skipper Virat Kohli doesn't necessarily have to tweak the 'template' he spoke of soon after India's innings and 76-run defeat at Headingley.
Despite Kohli (55) and Cheteshwar Pujara (91) showing some fight on day three in their uphill chase for the lead, England struck with the new ball on day four.
Ollie Robinson ensured a clinical win when he dismissed Kohli by getting him to nick one for Joe Root at first slip. Prior to that, he castled Pujara, who didn't add a single run to his overnight tally.
Ajinkya Rahane had no idea what hit him as he tamely edged an Anderson swinger to Jos Butler behind the stumps. With the big three gone, India folded meekly, and Ravindra Jadeja's 30 was just delaying the inevitable.
In the end, it was a fifer for Robinson, some runs in the bank for Pujara and Kohli, and most importantly, a win for the hosts. The victory saw England level the series going into the next match at the Oval.
Is Mayank Agarwal a possible solution?
Mayank Agarwal was supposed to be a shoo-in to replace Shubman Gill after a shin injury saw him fly home. However, concussion ruled him out of the first Test at Trent Bridge.
Here are some of the numbers he had to show before the start of the Test series against England. He was fourth on the list of Indian batters to score the most runs in the World Test Championship league phase. He stacked up 857 runs from 12 matches at an average of 42.85.
India made two bold changes in the first match - leaving out Ravichandran Ashwin and bringing in KL Rahul to open the innings. The latter worked as the Karnataka batsman, playing his first game in white-ball cricker since 2019, cemented his place with a bunch of solid knocks.
With that, the wait for Mayank Agarwal continues.
Theory: Bring Agarwal in, replace Ajinkya Rahane with KL Rahul
Ajinkya Rahane's inconsistency and woeful run is something India can no longer turn a blind eye to. The vice-captain has had a long rope and for all the experience and the caliber to succeed in English conditions, Rahane has done little to prove his worth in the side.
His gritty 66 in the second innings at Lord's now seems like a flash in the pan. Slotting KL Rahul down the order in place of Rahane could be a ploy worth trying. This would mean a change in the opening department with Mayank Agarwal getting a go.
What this does is beef up India's fragile-looking middle order by adding a player who has been amongst the runs and looked technically sound at the same time.
Maybe it's time for Mayank Agarwal to pad up.