So, here we are. After months of anticipation, the day of the first Test match in what promises to be a fascinating series between India and England. Despite the amount of cricket that’s played these days, there is nothing quite like the start of a five-match Test series. For the fans, for the players, for the millions who follow the game – this is what it’s all about.
For the world’s best Test side, this is an acid test.
And with Virat Kohli at the helm, the anticipation of the start of a Test match is heightened by the intrigue over who would make the playing XI. A surprise is always around the corner, given that change is the only constant for Kohli – his record of not naming the same playing XI in the matches he has been the captain is all set to continue on Wednesday at Edgbaston.
England, for their part, have already named the team that will take the field in Birmingham, confirming that Adil Rashid is the only front-line spinner who’ll feature in the side. In that, there is a clear enough indication that the hosts don’t expect the conditions to aid spinners, despite all the talk about the dry English summer. For starters, Birmingham has seen enough rain in the past couple of days. And the weather forecast is for a cloudy, breezy, and mildly chilly few days for the first Test.
With that in mind, here’s the XI that Scroll.in feels Kohli would do well to field in the series opener.
The Top Three
“The first 20-25 overs are extremely crucial. If you can come through that period [unscathed] then you get to set a good platform. Understanding your role, understanding what the team needs in those 20 overs, the discipline needed to see off those 20 overs and make sure you lose as few wickets as possible. Then you set up the game because we have enough ammunition in the middle order and lower order to take the game forward.”
— Ravi Shastri to ESPNCricinfo
Going by Shastri’s comments, and given the conditions are expected to be English enough, it would be a massive surprise if Shikhar Dhawan walks out to bat with M Vijay as the opener. Dhawan was the preferred choice in the series opener against South Africa but his struggles with the moving red ball became evident once again and KL Rahul replaced him in the second and third Tests. And despite his good form in the white-ball leg of the tour, Dhawan reverted to the same pattern in the only warm-up match – looking clueless against the moving ball against Essex’s new ball bowlers.
If India are really serious about a solid foundation, Vijay and Rahul should open, despite Kohli’s love for the left-right combination at the top.
Which then brings us to No 3 slot. India could pull off a surprise here by using Dhawan. Shastri, in that same interview, also told fans to expect a few surprises with the combinations. Cheteshwar Pujara’s summer of troubles with Yorkshire continued against Essex as well. But that would be an extreme left-field call even by India’s recent standards. At least for the first Test, it’s hard to imagine Pujara not being backed for the slot that is perhaps the most important in English conditions. If Pujara finds form early in the series, India will be primed to do well as far as the batting lineup is concerned. Experiments, can and should, wait.
Middle order
Perhaps the only part of the line-up that automatically picks itself. Without the presence of Rohit Sharma, Rahane – the vice-captain, in case you had forgotten – should take his preferred slot at No 5. Dinesh Karthik, the top-scorer in the warm-up match, will slot in at No 6 and will be a definite improvement over Wriddhiman Saha as a batsman and lends more solidity to the battting line-up.
Oh, in case you were wondering, Kohli will bat at No 4. You could bet your house on that.
All-rounders
R Ashwin not featuring at all on day two of the warm-up game threw up a concern for India, but his involvement in day three – even if sparing – went some way in easing concerns over his fitness. While none of the spinners featured heavily in the opener, Ashwin was the one who looked most threatening. And his batting is as important for Kohli, especially in the absence of the star of the 2014 tour – Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Hardik Pandya, despite flattering to deceive with the bat after that one innings in South Africa, should be an automatic choice. A seaming all-rounder in England is a must for any visiting side to do well, and Pandya is the best India have got.
Bowlers
First, the automatic picks – Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav. The former has put in the hard yards in the county circuit, and is the senior-most member of this bowling attack. He has plenty of experience bowling in England, and despite his frustrating showing in the warm-up game, should keep his spot in the lineup. Umesh, on his part, has enjoyed a renaissance of sorts ever since the IPL. And Kohli loves his fast bowlers to be, well, fast. He was the best bowler on show against Essex as well, for what it’s worth.
Which brings us to the final question: Kuldeep Yadav or Mohammed Shami?
Kuldeep, as great as he was in the T20Is and ODIs, would (and should) wait for his chance in the Test series. By now, it’s pretty clear that talks of subcontinent-type conditions at Edgbaston were exaggerated. Even not considering the rain, the ground staff have reportedly been busy heavily watering the outfield to help the pitch retain moisture and prevent the ball from becoming spin-friendly too soon.
There is the school of thought that Kuldeep should be picked ahead of Ashwin (and Jadeja for that matter) given how much he troubled the English batsmen, but Ashwin’s batting is essential to the balance of the side when Kohli plays four bowlers and Pandya. Otherwise, the tail simply becomes too long. Kuldeep also makes a strong case for himself by virtue of England fielding seven left-handed batsmen, but let’s not forget Ashwin enjoys bowling to southpaws as well.
And thus, by elimination, Shami should start the match. Which, it must be said, is a bit underwhelming from an Indian point of view. He has hardly had a bowl since the South Africa series (where he frustrated for long periods, taking his own sweet time to get into a groove in the game, before eventually finishing as the leading wicket-taker for India). He has been plagued by fitness problems and off-the-field issues. It’s hardly been the ideal build-up for him, but in the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, Shami should get the nod for the first game over Kuldeep.
Here’s Scroll.in’s XI
Vijay, Rahul, Pujara, Kohli, Rahane, Karthik, Ashwin, Pandya, Ishant, Umesh, Shami
Popular prediction
As it turns out, that’s the exact XI the majority of our readers have opted for as well. Here’s how you, the readers, voted.
While Vijay expectedly got the bulk of the votes for the openers’ slot, Rahul comfortably outscored Dhawan, although his numbers kept increasing steadily over time. At one stage, as many as 90% opted for Rahul, who finally registered just over 70% of the votes, with Dhawan’s numbers increasing to 19%. Interestingly, Pujara and Karthik (who has opened in England before) combined for a 17% vote-share.
Another interesting observation was the fact that Umesh was the most popular choice overall after, obviously, Kohli.
And despite the apparent clamour to include Kuldeep Yadav along with or even over Ashwin, the off-spinner earned the third highest number of votes among bowlers. Perhaps surprisingly, he even earned more votes than Pandya.
The closest call was between Kuldeep and Shami, understandably. The pacer earned just 5% more votes than Kuldeep, showing that it’s perhaps the biggest call facing Kohli – does he go with the bowler in form or back the seamer in conditions that would be helpful? Well, we can only wait for the toss to find out.
