Bold moves needed: Opting for five bowlers the only way for India to win a Test

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Just like MS Dhoni during his tenure as Test captain, Indian coach Gautam Gambhir has opted for a safe approach — fielding at least seven specialist batters, four bowlers, and relying on a few all-rounders to bolster the batting line-up. But where are the bold, Virat Kohli-type decisions — where five frontline bowlers were used to go for the win? After all, you need 20 wickets to win a Test match. India struggled to do that in the Leeds Test — and who’s to say it won’t happen again in the second Test?

From the look of it, at least two changes are expected for the second Test. Shardul Thakur is certain to miss out, while Jasprit Bumrah could be rested to manage his workload and ensure he’s fresh when India needs him the most. Sources told CricBlogger that Akashdeep is likely to come in for Bumrah and not left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh, while Washington Sundar could just get the nod ahead of Kuldeep Yadav as Shardul’s replacement.

All those premonitions about Prasidh Krishna not able to play the Edgbaston Test was nothing but a hoax. Of course, Prasdh had a niggle but looks all good for the game, which could lead Mohammed Siraj to shoulder more responsibility. It’s not about creating those noises. It’s about taking those wickets and nothing else.

Unless Gambhir changes his approach and adopts a Kohli-like mindset — backing five specialist bowlers instead of relying on bits-and-pieces players — India will continue to struggle in the longest format of the game. Backing five bowlers also means including Kuldeep Yadav (not at the cost of Ravindra Jadeja), whose wrist spin offers a distinct variation, particularly against an England batting line-up known to be susceptible to leg-spin.