6 questions Indian fans need to ask Ravi Shastri 

#1 Why is the selection policy so broken?

England v India: Specsavers 5th Test - Day Two

The most pressing and frustrating concern of Indian fans is some of the selection decisions. At times, they have made little sense, starting with the decision to drop Ajinkya Rahane in South Africa for the first two tests. The decision to not field India's most consistent player from the last overseas cycle at the start of the new one was bizarre, to say the least.

Rahane's return in the third test where he scored a crucial 47 on a tricky pitch was a vindication of how poor the decision to not play him earlier was. How different could that have series been had the Mumbaiker played the first two games?

The trend continued in England when Cheteshwar Pujara was not in the playing 11 for the first test. It was unfathomable that India had dropped a player who spent the last three months in England playing County Cricket. In a team full of stroke players, Pujara is the only one with a defensive outset; something every team needs. Not to forget he is someone with a test average of over 50. Once again in a match that India lost by an extremely close margin, one was left wondering how different things could have been if Pujara was there.

Another shocking move was the decision to play two spinners at Lord's, where the first day was washed out by rain. It was clear that there was not going to be a fifth day. The weather prediction of even more rain was there for the world to see. Later in Southampton on a dry pitch, where even England played two spinners, India decided to go with just the one. When you read the conditions wrong twice, the team management has to take responsibility.

In England, twice India fielded unfit players. Bhuvneshwar Kumar's inclusion for the final ODI raised eyebrows from the start. Anyone watching could make out, he was not fully fit. The fears were confirmed with the news that the pacer could not take any part in the test series. Later, Ashwin took the field in Southampton despite not fully recovering from his injury. How much it cost India has been extensively documented. For decisions like these, the coach and his staff simply cannot be forgiven.

Above everything, there is a wider issue with India's team selection. Under Virat Kohli, only once has India ever fielded an unchanged lineup. The current regime has dropped each player at some point except for the Captain and player who made their debuts in this series.

There is understandably fear and insecurity in the players which is vivid. Most players are unable to play their natural game in such an atmosphere. KL Rahul symbolizes this notion. The team is finding it tough to find solutions to its problems because of this policy. The fact that India is still not sure about their middle order for ODIs is a great example.