4 Questions India should try to answer before the third Test
The first two test matches of the much-anticipated five-match Test series between India and England are over and India are in danger of another series loss. India showed a great fight in the first Test match at Edgbaston but was totally outplayed in the second one at Lords.
India has to make a comeback pretty quickly or else they will lose the series and the MAK Pataudi Trophy. India struggled really badly in the second Test as they couldn’t even score 150 in each of the innings. They batted only 82 odd overs, which means they were effectively bowled two times in a day.
Their bowlers also let them down in the second Test match as Woakes and Bairstow piled on the runs. The only positive news coming from the Indian camp is that Jasprit Bumrah is fully fit and will be available for selection from the 3rd Test. Virat Kohli’s back injury is a big concern for India. He might not be 100% fit for the 3rd Test at Trent Bridge.
The Indian team is currently facing a lot of criticism from the media and ex-cricketers. There are questions being raised over Ravi Shastri's position as head coach and Virat Kohli’s captaincy. There are plenty of questions and very few answers with the Indian team right now. So, here are 4 questions which the Indian team should try and answer before the 3rd Test starts.
#4 Who are the two best openers?
There has been constant chopping and changing for the opening slots. The three openers are constantly being rotated. In the first Test match, Dhawan was the top scorer out of all the three openers but still was dropped. More than the runs, the reason why Dhawan was dropped was due to the way he got out. He keeps driving the ball on the up which was why he was dropped.
But is this constant chopping and changing helping the confidence of players?
A young player like Rahul needs the backing of his captain. If he doesn’t know if he is going to play the next match then he will not play for the team but play for his place. Murali Vijay hasn’t scored a single 50 in the last 10 overseas Test innings.
This is not acceptable for an experienced player like Vijay. India should keep it simple and keep the same openers for at least 2-3 consecutive Test matches. Vijay has all the experience and it is time that he uses it in the 3rd Test.
Rahul has to be patient and wait for scoring opportunities. India needs to find their best openers for these conditions and stick with them for some time.