India’s three-day warm-up game against Essex has drawn to a close with the match ending in a tame draw.
The game at Chelmsford served as India’s only warm-up game before they take on hosts England in the five-match Test series that gets underway at Edgbaston on August 1.
With India testing almost the entirety of their 18-man squad in the warm-up game, we look at the ones who have staked a claim for a starting berth in the opening Test and others who might have written themselves out of contention.
THE GOOD
DINESH KARTHIK
The wicketkeeper-batsman has confirmed his credentials for taking the gloves in the opening Test with a fluent innings of 82 off just 95 in the first innings. With Wriddhiman Saha ruled out of the series, Dinesh Karthik is now the frontrunner to keep wickets for India with Rishabh Pant being the reserve option.
Although Karthik’s performance with the bat was more than up to the mark, his display with the gloves left a lot to be desired with the India man being guilty of dropping two chances at Chelmsford.
Still, his experience and showing with the bat means Karthik is now all set to play the first Test.
Karthik is now a shoe-in to take the gloves at Edgbaston.
KL RAHUL
Like Karthik, KL Rahul has been trying to work his way back into India’s Test squad after being in and out of the side over the past year or so.
The stylish right-hander made a strong case for himself with a superb half-century under pressure in India’s first innings before following it up with an unbeaten 36 in the second. His form, coupled with Shikhar Dhawan’s struggles at the moment, could see the right-hander instated as the opener along with Murali Vijay for the first Test.
HARDIK PANDYA
The all-rounder was always going to play a crucial part for India in the upcoming Test series due to his ability to provide another fast-bowling option. There have been question marks over Hardik Pandya’s suitability for the five-day format put he put some of those to rest with an excellent half-century in the first innings.
He did however, fail to impress with the ball after going for 54 runs in his 12 overs. Given that India could opt to go with a two-man spin attack owing to the prevalent weather conditions, Pandya should be a shoe-in for the playing XI as he provides the visitors with another pace option.
Pandya was off-colour with the ball but impressed with the bat.
UMESH YADAV
The fast-bowler has seen himself fall down the pecking order in India’s pace batter in recent times with the emergence of Jasprit Bumrah as a Test bowler. However, with injuries to Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav has automatically moved up in the pecking order.
If there were any doubts India had with regards to his red-ball form, they were quelled in the warm-up game with the pacer bagging four wickets in Essex’s first innings. Umesh and Ishant were the most impressive of India’s bowlers in the tie and the duo will almost certainly find a place in the pace battery – be it a two-man or three-man attack.
THE BAD
SHIKHAR DHAWAN
The opening batsman has not been in the best of forms of late and his latest display will throw further question marks over his ability to navigate the moving ball in England.
Shikhar Dhawan bagged a pair in the warm-up game after being castled for a third-ball duck on Friday. His failure in both innings will leave the Indian management in a dilemma on whether to drop him completely and replace him with Rahul or whether to accommodate both batsmen in the line-up. At the moment, the former is looking more likely.
Dhawan was dismissed for a duck in both innings against Essex.
CHETESHWAR PUJARA
Cheteshwar Pujara might have recently stated that the Indian team understands his importance to the side but his increasing failure to perform overseas does not bode well for the top-order batsman. The right-hander lasted just seven balls in the first innings at Chelmsford and was dismissed for only 23 in the second.
This comes after a monumental failure in red-ball cricket with Yorkshire in the County Championship. Pujara is definitely walking on a tightrope at the moment and the dreaded axe cannot be far away based on his latest showing.
KARUN NAIR
Karun Nair’s triple century previously against England in India is perhaps the only reason he has been afforded another chance with the Test squad for the tour. The Karnataka batsman was dismissed for just four runs in the first innings after struggling against the swinging ball.
His hopes for a berth in the playing XI were bleak already but his performance at Chelmsford might have been the final nail in the coffin for the batsman.
MOHAMMED SHAMI
With India struggling with injuries in the pace department, they really needed Mohammed Shami to come good in the practice game. The fast bowler has been out of action for some time now owing to his personal family issues and fitness concerns.
He was dropped from the squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan after failing the Yo-Yo test but has been recalled to the squad owing to Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah’s injuries. In the 21 overs he bowled at Chelmsford, Shami went wicketless while struggling to generate rhythm with his bowling. India will now have take a call on whether to include Shami in a three-man pace attack or leave him on the bench in order to accommodate two spinners.
Shami failed to generate any rhythm in his bowling.
