Boria Majumdar in Leeds
India will not win against England by being defensive. England wasn’t and the way to tackle them is to give things back in the same vein. In hindsight, India was defensive in Leeds. The batters did exceptionally well to score 450 and 350 plus but it did not get its due because the bowling wasn’t capable of picking 20 wickets. I say this in hindsight and based on what happened. India missed Kuldeep Yadav or Arshdeep Singh.
Both are genuine wicket-takers and were sorely missed in the English second innings. On day 5, the moment Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj had finished their first spells, the pressure was released. Prasidh Krishna conceded 38 of his first 6 overs and Shardul Thakur 17 of 3. At a time when the need was to keep the pressure on, India’s support bowlers sprayed it around and let England off the hook. That pushed Shubman Gill to go on the defensive and all of a sudden there was just one slip when the opponent was chasing a mammoth 371.
In this Test match there was hardly any contribution from R Jadeja, Karun Nair, Shardul Thakur and Sai Sudarshan with the bat. While no one should ever suggest wholesale changes, it is also essential to think what possible wicket-taking options can India get in for Edgbaston. My personal opinion is two changes. First, Nitish Reddy, who is a very good batter and has demonstrated it in tough Australian conditions, can come in at number six in place of Karun Nair. He is a good enough fielder and can also give the team a few overs of medium pace when the bowlers are in need of rest.
In addition, Shardul should make way for Arshdeep Singh or Kuldeep Yadav depending on the condition on offer in Birmingham. If the wicket has grass, Arshdeep can be a very good starting option for India. In such a scenario, Siraj can come in first change. If the wicket is dry, Kuldeep can be a major option.
The batting is the big plus from Leeds and Gill and Gautam Gambhir will now know that they don’t need the extra cushion at number 8. Rather, they can go in with four out and out wicket-takers in Bumrah, Siraj, Prasidh and Arshdeep/Kuldeep. Even Prasidh should be under the scanner just for the number of freebies he bowls every innings. After three good balls, there is always a boundary ball coming and that’s where the pressure is released.
Twice in Leeds, India had the opportunity to bat England out of the contest. From 430-3, they folded up for 471. The lower middle order and the tail did nothing to help the cause. The very same happened in the second innings, something Ben Stokes alluded to in his press conference at the end of the game. And that’s where India need to turn things around.
Go on the aggressive and change things around in Edgbaston. With the top order all going into Birmingham with confidence, no reason why India wouldn’t take a couple of bold calls. Leeds has given hope that this team can compete. Now it is time to go a step further and even things out in Birmingham.