What India need to sort out – quickly
Top-order solidity and return of Bumrah could give tourists a chance, writes Tim Wigmore
Top-order batting
Murali Vijay is often considered a barometer of India’s batting. Succeed, and he does not merely make runs; he protects India’s middle order from the new ball, and sets the team up to thrive. Fail, and he allows the opposition’s seamers to attack the middle order while still fresh.
With a pair at Lord’s, following on from 20 and six at Edgbaston, Vijay has started abjectly, prompting speculation he could even be dropped. That appears unlikely – India have already ditched one opener, Shikhar Dhawan, this series.
Vijay is India’s most solid opener and, with 146 and 52 in his only previous Test at Trent Bridge, has fine memories of the ground. If Vijay can leave the ball assiduously and play immaculately straight against the new ball, India’s middle order will have a much better chance of succeeding too.
Runs by the wicketkeeper
India’s selection of Hardik Pandya – a cricketer admired for his attitude but neither a front-line seamer nor genuine top-six batsman – increases the onus on the wicketkeeper to provide runs.
Dinesh Karthik has failed to do that – mustering just 21 runs in four innings – and so Rishabh Pant, an effervescent left-hander, is poised to make his Test debut.
Pant, who has a first-class triple century and an average of 54.50, is already a star of domestic cricket. Three half-centuries in four innings for India A on their first-class tour of England this summer were encouraging, too.
England’s Test seamers, though, will provide a different order of challenge for Pant; so, too, could keeping wicket against the moving ball.
Slip catching
Fielding is considered the area in modern cricket ripest for improvement; India provide a case study into why. In January, arguably only shoddy catching prevented India from recording their first Test series victory in South Africa. Since the start of 2015, India have dropped one-third of all slip catches against pace – putting them eighth out of the nine main Test nations, and a world away from New Zealand’s stupendous record of taking 90 per cent of all slip chances.
For a team ranked No1 – by such a margin that they will retain that position even if they lose this series 5-0 – such shoddiness in the slips amounts to an unwanted drag.
India have shelled catches this series and their hopes of an audacious comeback rest upon opening up England’s old toporder frailties.
For Pant and the slip cordon, there is no room for error.
Team selection
Given all the obstacles to winning away in modern Test cricket, what hope do a side have if they do not even select their best XI?
At Lord’s, India picked two spinners – choosing the team for the game they wanted to play, not the team for the game they actually had to play. Even Virat Kohli admitted the selection was awry.
India will not repeat the mistake at Trent Bridge. Jasprit Bumrah, a pace bowler with a slingy action and penchant for a devastating yorker is fit: even as the fourth right-arm seamer in the attack, he will provide variety.
As they showed in South Africa and at Edgbaston, India have a formidable seam attack who can exploit favourable conditions. At Trent Bridge they will have the chance to show as much again. Their concern is how they play seam, rather than bowl it.