Mohinder Amarnath thinks Team India should make two changes for the Lord's Test

The Indian team made a bold move in the first Test against England by dropping Cheteshwar Pujara from the XI. They went with KL Rahul instead at No.3 and though the right-hander did earn a spot in the team given the kind of form he has reflected in the last few months, it wasn’t quite justified to drop Pujara. The debate has been going on since the start of the match and the fact that the Indian batting failed to deliver further prompts experts like Mohinder Amarnath to believe that Pujara deserves to be a part of the side.

Amarnath thinks that in conditions when most batsmen struggle against the moving ball someone line the Saurashtra batsman is an asset to possess. Pujara likes to take his time, occupies the crease for longer, waits for the right deliveries to score and seldom plays outlandish shots. If he is given a longer rope it works best for him and in the favour of the team as well since 30-year-old has the ability to score big once he gets into his zone.

“The team selection needs to be looked into. When batsmen are struggling with the moving ball, it might be a good idea to induct Cheteshwar Pujara into the side. I know he is not in great form, but he has the ability to occupy the crease and just needs time in the middle to rediscover his touch,” Amarnath wrote in his column for the Times of India.

Jadeja ahead of Pandya

The World Cup-winning former cricketer is also of the view that it will be a good idea to play Ravindra Jadeja ahead of Hardik Pandya. Given his partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin will make life tougher for the batsmen and his ability with the bat lower down the order. He thinks Jadeja is the kind of player who will add balance to this team something Bhuvneshwar Kumar did on the last tour.

“It might also be a good idea to play Ravindra Jadeja instead of Hardik Pandya. Jadeja’s spin might be a good foil for the pace trio and Ashwin, and he might also contribute with the bat. It is unfortunate that Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was so good on the last tour, is injured but Jadeja might give the team balance,” Amarnath said.

Batsmen need to learn from Kohli

He further mentioned that the Indian batsmen need to look at skipper Virat Kohli’s performance from the first Test and pull their game together.

“The Indians need to take a leaf out of Virat Kohli’s book and tighten up their game. He was simply exceptional at Edgbaston, and hopefully he will continue the form and also inspire other batsmen,” he stated.

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