Destroyed and dejected Team India likely to persist with out-of-form Vijay or recall Dhawan for opening slot in Saturday's third Test against England
India opener Murali Vijay is bowled by England pacer James Anderson on Day Two of the second Test at Lord's, last Friday. Pic/Getty Images
As Stuart Broad was slicing through the Indian middle order on Sunday afternoon, wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant was busy in a rigorous batting session at Lord's Nursery Ground which is at the back of the main stadium. During Pant's session, he was told about Dinesh Karthik's first-ball duck by fielding coach R Sridhar. There was no change in Pant's tempo or style as he continued to test himself against the swinging ball, but perhaps in his mind, he sensed his dream might not be too far away. Before the start of the tour, it had seemed like Karthik's spot was secure for all five Tests, but the manner of dismissals and struggles against the moving ball has re-opened the debate of unearthing Pant, 20, as early as the third Test match.
Improved Pant
According to sources in India 'A' set-up, Pant's wicketkeeping has improved by leaps and bounds during his tenure with the 'A' team. Add to that, he recorded three fifties in the two four-day matches. While it might be a totally different challenge against the likes of James Anderson and Broad, looking at the future, it might be the right time to introduce Pant.
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The other raging debate will be over the opening slot. Cheteshwar Pujara's resilient knock in the second dig at Lord's warrants his selection at No. 3, so the question for the selectors will be to either persist with Murali Vijay or bring back Shikhar Dhawan. KL Rahul seems to be penciled in for the future and it will be far too radical to drop him. Vijay has looked all at sea and the way he has wafted at balls outside off-stump, it seems like he is not in the right state of mind. India have no other options, it's either they revert to Dhawan or persist with Vijay. But foremost, India must pick a team based on the conditions. Virat Kohli has been so adamant about picking up 20 wickets that he has almost dismissed the hypothesis of scoring runs.
Conditions matter
If the pitch at Nottingham offers enough assistance, then India need to fit in another specialist batsman, but for that, they need to be assured that Hardik Pandya can do the duty of a third seamer. To be fair, the options are limited so it is crucial India pick a team according to conditions and not on preconceived ideas.
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