Revamp the squad, or persist with the incumbent for one last time?
The Indian team is being trolled mercilessly on social media. Former cricketers are questioning their technique and ridiculing their lack of preparation for this tour. And above all, experts are demanding that top batsmen be dropped and replaced by the younger players in the squad.
One cannot help but sympathize with the Indian batting lineup. True, an Indian cricketer can never escape scrutiny, but the way Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Dinesh Karthik are being treated by the fans, the media and even cricketer-turned analysts who have faced similar experiences first hand, is outrageous, to say the least.
This is not to deny the fact that what happened at Lord's was an outright disaster. The Indian batsmen not only struggled to counter the swinging ball, but they also failed to show the resilience one expects from the no.1 ranked test team in the world.
However, is it fair for us to forget the achievements of this same set of players in similar and on occasions, even tougher circumstances?
Rahane came into this series as the only batsman apart from Steve Smith to average above 50 in overseas tests and his match-winning 103 at Lord's in 2014 remains one of the greatest innings ever played by an Indian. Vijay was India's most consistent contributor in the last set of away tours from 2013-2015, scoring 2 hundreds along with several crucial 90s. Rahul scored his maiden test century at Sydney in only his second test and has been impressive in the limited opportunities given to him thereafter. Pujara's solidity at the crease is unmatched and Karthik was India's highest run-getter in the 2007 tour of England.
Critics argue that it is an ideal time to blood youngsters as they cannot possibly play any worse than the current lot. But it is important to realize that it is unreal to expect players like Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, Hanuma Vihari and Rishabh Pant to come out of 'A' tours and instantly replicate the same form at the Test level. There is no doubt about their talent and one cannot undervalue the volume of runs accumulated by them at the first-class level, but if most of India's veterans struggled to tackle certain conditions, how are these youngsters suppose to fare any better?
Overseas test tours are by far the most significant bilateral series in India's cricket calendar and the team is built over a period of years for the same. The core of the current batting lineup is no different as all of them are proven performers in different conditions across the world. If they can't handle a particular bowling attack, if they can't survive on a particular pitch, then no one in India can. They truly deserve an opportunity to show their calibre in the all-important third test at Nottingham. If they do fail again, then that will definitely pave the way for the next generation to take over as India can look to build for the future. But as long as the series is alive, the first-choice players must be given the chance to try and win the series for the country.
Talking about changes in the team, it is about time that Kohli gave up his tendency to tinker with the combination and for once, persisted with the same group of players. Under him, India are yet to field the same team in consecutive test matches and while that trend may continue with the bowling lineup likely to be driven by conditions, the incumbent batsmen must be retained to remove the feeling of insecurity of their place in the side.
In a strange situation for Indian cricket, the bowling attack looks settled despite the absence of its lead pacer. Also, one of the very few positives for India from the Lord's test was that Hardik Pandya was finally given a substantial role with both bat and ball, thereby adding valuable balance to the team.
But the most pressing question still remains: who will comprise India's batting lineup in the do-or-die test at Nottingham?
Virat Kohli faces the trickiest selection dilemma of his captaincy career. And at stake is not only the test career of his teammates but also his future as a leader of Indian cricket.