Who Amongst R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, and Kuldeep Yadav Should Play in India vs England First Test Match at Edgbaston?
In the race of a seasoned campaigner, a tried-and-tested workhorse, and a star-in-making; skipper Virat Kohli will have to make some tough decisions ahead in the five-match Test series.
In the next 24 hours, the first Test match between India and England will begin at Edgbaston, in Birmingham, on Wednesday. The shots have been fired, words exchanged, and the battle lines have been drawn. The Indian team would be looking forward to putting the ODI series loss behind them and begin afresh in the Test series.
However, the team combination ahead of the first Test match will be a headache for skipper Virat Kohli. The first six players in the squad pick themselves in the starting XI. The task to select two players, for number 7 and 8 spots, is quite a problem for the Indian team management.
The options are Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Hardik Pandya. Only two of the four will be able to make it to the playing XI unless Kohli decides to field an unconventional side in the first Test match.
We, at LatestLY, evaluate these options ahead of India vs England First Test match at Edgbaston, in Birmingham.
1. Ravichandran Ashwin
Currently ranked 5th in ICC Test Bowling rankings and once (and largely still) India’s premier bowler, R Ashwin might struggle to find a place in the playing XI at Edgbaston. His lacklustre performance in foreign conditions over the years will only weaken his cause.
Strengths: a. The number of variations; b. Reliable lower-order batsman
Weaknesses: a. Too many experiments; b. Poor overseas record
Ashwin has bailed out India in many crunch situations in the past with his rock-solid batting. However, it is Ashwin the ‘bowler’ and not the ‘batsman’ which will be the point of contention for the right-arm off-spinner.
2. Ravindra Jadeja
Currently ranked 3rd in the latest ICC Test bowling rankings, Jadeja has often played ahead of Ashwin as a bowling all-rounder. He can unsettle batsmen, given the speed in which he completes his over. Jadeja, also, has a canny habit of breaking partnership at most-desirable times.
Strengths: a. Consistent line and lengths; b. Best fielder in the team
Weaknesses: a. Fragile batsman; b. Listless performances in unfriendly conditions
Jadeja has bowled some great spells in both, India and abroad. His all-round capabilities have been so tremendous that he has played as the first-choice spinner for a lot of times. The only Indian cricketer to score three triple centuries in India’s first-class cricket, Jadeja has failed to showcase his batting talent on the international level.
3. Hardik Pandya
A fast-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya is one of the automatic selections in the line-up too. The conditions in England are more favourable to fast-bowlers, is not a hidden fact. In order to share the workload and timely breaks to other fast bowlers, Pandya, for sure should feature in the playing XI.
Strengths: a. Dynamic batting style; b. Can bowl long spells
Weaknesses: a. Gets carried away easily; b. Inconsistent lines and lengths
Pandya made a sparkling Test debut in South Africa, earlier this year. He will be warming the bench only if the Indian think-tank mulls over going into the match with two spinners, which seems highly unlikely. On the contrary, the team would be banking heavily on his talent in the series.
4. Kuldeep Yadav
Despite not having much experience to his aide, Kuldeep Yadav was selected on the basis of his scintillating bowling performances in the recently concluded T20I and ODI series. The English batsmen failed to read his variations, which cost them wickets in heaps to the street-smart spinner.
Strengths: a. Dynamic batting style; b. Can bowl long spells
Weaknesses: a. Gets carried away easily; b. Inconsistent lines and lengths
Kuldeep has also displayed glimpses of sound technique while batting in the limited opportunities that he has got in his short career. Will the left-arm chinaman bowler picked ahead of his contemporaries would be an interesting selection choice!
The number 7 spot has always been a spot of bother for the Indian team, be it Test, ODI, or T20I cricket. The current Test series in England will see the Indian side face similar problems. However, this time, it will be the number 8 that will irate the Indian team management the most.
With Hardik Pandya an automatic choice in the side, it will be an interesting choice for Kohli to select one among Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav. In the race of a seasoned campaigner, a tried-and-tested workhorse, and a star-in-making; skipper Virat Kohli will have to make some tough decisions ahead in the five-match Test series.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 31, 2018 12:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).