All I would do (if I were Kohli and the management) is play Nair for Pandya and Yadav/Bumrah for Kuldeep. I would strengthen our batting by including Nair in the team. I would also back our 3 seamers to do the job and not rely on Pandya. I know Pandya got some runs in the last innings but to be honest, he is neither a batsman nor a bowler and in these conditions, it gives the other batsmen a better security to have an extra specialist batsman in the XI.
Team should back Dinesh Karthik here if they really want to groom a proper wicketkeeper bat for test cricket after Saha. Saha was given a lot of opportunities and still he has not delivered. DK has just got 2 tests. Give him atleast another test before taking a call. I would play him the entire tour. No knee jerk reactions yet on the rest of the batsmen. It would actually give them confidence if they are persisted with after the Lord's debacle. All they need is a firm re-assuring hand on their shoulders and some solid pep talk.
Why just another test? Why don't we tell a bloke? "Right, you've proven your worth in domestic cricket and we know without MS you would have been an integral part of Indian cricket. You've got a lot of cricket left in you, you're fit, we give you 6 months to prove your worth."
THAT is leadership. Also, his keeping has been decent and in fact, DK has been dismissed bowled/lbw because he has got brutes. I didn't see him nick off apart from one innings. Pant has the
X factor and he can change a test match. The talent is there but at some point, he too will need support from the management. Just don't see it happening.
Just remember, DK
opened the batting in England last time we won there and he did really well too. People who say he's out of form are out of their head. He has been batting as well as anyone I've ever seen bat!
Also, what wrong did Yadav do to suddenly be below Bumrah in the pecking order?
