India has failed miserably in what seems to be alien conditions in England. After losing the opening two Test matches against the home team, the visitors are in a grim spot, heading into the third Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. The Indian team is not new to batting collapses on an overseas tour and in this series, the trends seem to continue.

There’s no point in pinpointing any individual player, as the Indian team have failed collectively. However, the batting failures have hurt India the most. Be it Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane, or even Shikhar Dhawan for that matter. Even Dinesh Karthik, who was billed to be in the form of his life, has not been able to score runs in English conditions.

This raises the question that should Rishabh Pant make his Test debut in England. Will it to be early to blood him to the senior team? Should he debut in such a situation when everything else is not failing in place either?

The other side of the coin asks several questions too. Will it be too early to drop Dinesh Karthik in the Test series? Should Karthik be given a chance more to prove the incredible form that he is in, in the past two years? Or, should he not be made the scapegoat in these circumstances where no other batsmen other than Virat Kohli has excelled in?

Karthik has scored 0, 20, 1, 0, in the four innings that he has played in England, so far. Karthik’s wicket-keeping skills have not been that exemplary as well.

Keeping the questions posed in consideration, it seems that it is the right time to blood Pant in the senior team. The worst that could happen is that he won’t be scoring runs like his senior pros in the team.

On the flip side, there are a lot of positives. Rishabh Pant is a long-term option for the Indian team. With age on his side and the form that he is in, it will be only fitting that Pant gets a long rope in the remaining three Tests in England.

Even if he fails initially, playing in the English conditions so early in his career will be a significant career-boost for the youngster. Rishabh Pant is only 20 and given the name and fame that he has made, so early in his teens, is second to none.

Wriddhiman Saha is 33-years-old. Dinesh Karthik is 33-years-old too. Saha is injured and would need rehab for more than a couple of months to recover. Karthik is making a comeback in the team after a very long gap. Both the keepers might as well play in the whites for a couple of years more, and that too in the twilight of their careers.

Giving a chance to Rishabh Pant might bolster the Indian batting attack. The Indian batting line-up is looking down and out. The Indian think-tank needs to take a few calculative risks in the remaining Test matches. And at the moment, Rishabh Pant would be a safer bet than Karthik, in the next Test match.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 14, 2018 11:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).