India tour of Ireland (2 T20Is) & England (1 Test, 3 ODIs & 3 T20Is)

[Bevab]

Bharat has never opened in first-class cricket as far as I know. Why is there a discussion over him opening now on the basis of one practice game?

I would actually make him the specialist keeper and play him in the XI if he deserves it. He’s a better keeper than Pant skill wise (although the latter has improved a lot) and can certainly hold a bat. It would also free Pant up to bat at five which I feel is the best move for him long term as he is too good with the bat to languish down the order alongside our tail-enders. He’s also much better suited to playing besides a traditional batter. Our best partnerships in the famous tour of Australia where when Pant and Pujara batted together and it would be wise to get a similar combination going again.

This would be a long term move though and not something to be tried in a one-off. I hate Mayank’s change in technique that has allowed him to dominate T20s at the expense of his fledging test career but he has been brought in as the opener and he should play. If there are reasons such as form and fitness, at worst Pujara should be played as the makeshift opener given that he tends to be quick to the crease in any case. I don’t see it working out though.

 

[Verified Enigma]

Bharat has never opened in first-class cricket as far as I know. Why is there a discussion over him opening now on the basis of one practice game?

Rohit Sharma never opened until a practice game in ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. At times, things happen with gut feeling.

 

[icyman]

If Bumrah even leads us to a draw here, I'd want him to be named a full time deputy to Rohit across formats then. At least, it puts an end to the fear that KLR may eventually lead us.

Regards opening, it might not be a bad idea to try Bharat or Pants at the very top. I'd go with Bharat based on his recent exploits and also the fact that Gill is quite aggressive. If nothing else works, they always have the option of Pujara

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Rohit Sharma never opened until a practice game in ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.

Rohit opened for India in 2009 WT20 and also in one of the games during 2011 ODI series in South Africa. He also opened in 4th & 5th ODI against England in 2013 when they toured India.

Opening in a white-ball game and a red-ball game are different things altogether. It's a risky move that might not work out and in turn could hamper a player's confidence. I for one was never in favour of Rohit opening in Test matches for this very reason.

To open with Bharat in a Test match in England which actually is a deciding game won't be a wise move. It's such a big pressure game!

 

[icyman]

Open with Lord Shardul. Things won't go wrong that way

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Open with Lord Shardul. Things won't go wrong that way

Kohli to get a new ball then? He does have skills to get out Zak Crawley atleast.

 

[Bigby Wolf]

Indian fans running scared already

Always mate.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

To be honest, there's a good chance of rain, so it might not matter who opens for India.

 

[Verified Enigma]

To be honest, there's a good chance of rain, so it might not matter who opens for India.

And captains

 

[wasteyouryouth]

And captains

Indian fans spend five years complaining about their captain; then the BCCI give them a new one every series and they still aren't happy.

 

[Aislabie]

Bharat has never opened in first-class cricket as far as I know. Why is there a discussion over him opening now on the basis of one practice game?

I'm sure England could spare Zak Crawley if India are needing an opener

On a more serious note, I don't actually know who's available for India, but I'll still guess at an XI anyway because I like lists:

1. Mayank Agarwal
2. Shubman Gill
3. Cheteshwar Pujara
4. Virat Kohli
5. Hanuma Vihari
6. Shreyas Iyer
7. Rishabh Pant
8. Ravichandran Ashwin
9. Jasprit Bumrah
10. Umesh Yadav
11. Mohammad Shami

 

[asprin]

I was thinking about Pant and Jadeja. Pant particularly being a player who can turn a game in a session.

Post his Australia heroics, I don't seem to recall any special innings from Pant (away games). To be fair to him though, don't think we played that many away games after that. But I agree, the X factor is always there, could easily make or break a session/Test.

Jadeja, yes, he has been phenomenal in the batting department but he rarely gets you wickets in away games.

@asprin isn't the only fan over here.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

Post his Australia heroics, I don't seem to recall any special innings from Pant (away games). To be fair to him though, don't think we played that many away games after that. But I agree, the X factor is always there, could easily make or break a session/Test.

Jadeja, yes, he has been phenomenal in the batting department but he rarely gets you wickets in away games.

I watched that last night.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

I don't seem to recall any special innings from Pant (away games)

A half century at The Oval and a century in Cape Town.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

The last time India & England played at Edgbaston, we had this great Final day!!

And this magnificent innings was a part of this Test match. Hope we see something similar in this Test.