Arshdeep Singh comes in for Mohammed Siraj, Bumrah back

After England lost their second Test against India at Edgbaston, all hell seems to have broken loose. The home side now wants more pacer friendly wickets. Coach Brendon McCullum has asked the Lord’s curator for “something with a bit more pace, a bit more bounce, and maybe a little bit of sideways”. And why not.. after all they lost by a massive margin of 336 runs, on a pitch that was suitable for batters, in all ways possible.

For the same, the hosts have brought Gus Atkinson, and there are signs that Jofra Archer will play his first Test in four years. So, keeping all that in mind, how should Team India’s ideal XI look like, for the third IND vs ENG Test, starting on July 10?

No Changes in Batting Order

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant have scored heavily for the team in the first two matches. And there is no reason to tinker with the batting order in any way. Even Karun Nair, who hasn’t been able to score many, truth be told, has looked decent in his stays at the crease. For Lord’s, no changes needed here.

Washington Sundar Suits India

He might have just picked one wicket in the match, and scored a handful of runs, but he gives some cushion to the team. The drift that he generated with the ball, can really do the trick, in situations where bowlers are struggling to get wickets. If there is more pace on offer in the next match, batting might be difficult early on, so Sundar, along with Ravindra Jadeja, can score some crucial runs for the team.

Nitish Kumar Reddy Stays

NKR was one of those players who had nothing to do in the Edgbaston Test. Yet, given he can score some crucial runs, he is needed for that kind of balance in the team. Whether he is used judiciously is a debate for another day, but having him in the team, seems to give a lot of confidence to the management.

Jasprit Bumrah In, Rest for Mohammed Siraj

Now that Jasprit Bumrah has had his rest, it is time for Mohammed Siraj to get some rest in. In two matches, he has bowled over 70 overs, and picked up 9 wickets. That is a good amount of overs, given it’s a five-match series, and Siraj would again be needed, when Bumrah is rested for another match.

Instead India can go with Arshdeep Singh, who is yet to play a Test for India. But what works in his favour is, he swings the ball in both directions, and can work well with Bumrah. Of course, after his 10-wicket effort, Akash Deep stays.

Best India XI for Lord’s

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah.