The mere suggestion to drop Rahane is lunacy. We are not the India of 20-25 years back, or the Pakistan today where one loss and the whole nation goes bananas. These guys have done well over a period of time and one loss doesn't require any chopping and changing. Even if we lose this series, we have invested a lot in these players and they've done well over a long period of time. We need to give them some rope to redeem slumps in form and confidence. Jayant Yadav himself has done well, but he seems to be someone who can bowl you long spells with some control and contribute well in the lower order. I just feel he's not an out and out match winner with either/or. Kuldeep Yadav is a rare commodity. He is unique and the faster we start grooming him, the quicker he will develop. He, being a left arm wrist spinner also provides a valuable attacking option when playing abroad and keeps our two main spinners honest while adding much needed variety. I've been harping about him for very long and there's clear talent there, likewise with Chahal. The problem is that marquee performances in limited overs label you as some sort of rash-bash specialist.
India in all probability will make one change for Bangalore which will be Nair coming in for J Yadav. No doubt, Nair deserves to be the NO.6 in the pecking order, but our top 5 has to be Vijay, Rahul, Pujara, Kohli and Rahane. For me, those 5 are indispensable and one of the better top 5's going around in Test Match cricket. No need for us to panic about their quality. One thing I will ensure is that Vijay is nowhere catching around the bat or in the slips. He's a world class opener but an absolute calamity waiting to collapse while catching. Also, I'd like him to be a bit more positive with his footwork and batting. A free flowing Vijay is as dangerous as an on song Kohli. He just needs to turn the volume up and get his body language sorted.
