England vs India 2018: India's major worries ahead of the Lord's test

England clinched victory in a thrilling series-opener at Edgbaston, to gain a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. While India have reasons to be proud of their performance- they picked up 20 wickets with relative ease and ended just 31 runs short of becoming the first Asian side to win a Test match in Birmingham- there is no hiding from some glaring issues which must be resolved if India are to compete in the rest of the series.

Virat Kohli almost single-handedly kept India alive aggregating 200 runs in the match, but a collective failure from the rest of the batting unit made disaster inevitable as England were effectively bowling to just one batsman. The hard work put in by the bowlers led by Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin also went in vain as India squandered a golden opportunity of securing an overseas win.

Who should open for India? How does Pujara fit in? What's wrong with Rahane? Is there a defined role for Pandya in the test team?

Let's take a look at the major worries for Team India ahead of the 2nd Test at Lord's:

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1) Who should India's openers be?

India's Test Openers: A game of musical chairs

The big question coming into the series was about who should accompany Murali Vijay at the top of the line-up. It seemed harsh to drop either KL Rahul or Shikhar Dhawan, given their recent form in international cricket. India eventually decided to play all three of them at the expense of Cheteshwar Pujara.

It would be an understatement to describe their performance in the first Test as disappointing.

While Vijay and Dhawan started well in the first innings with a 50-run opening partnership, they threw it away soon after that, leaving India in a spot of bother. Rahul didn't last too long either, as he dragged one onto his stumps from Sam Curran.

Not a lot changed in the second innings either. Vijay was trapped lbw by a well-disguised inswinger from Stuart Broad; Dhawan edged an attempted cover drive to slip for the second time in the match and Rahul endured a painful 24-ball stay at the crease before nicking off to the keeper.

Vijay's case is an intriguing one. Over the last few years, he has been one of India's most consistent performers in overseas conditions where most other batsmen have struggled. His ability to leave deliveries outside the off-stump along with his patience to play long innings even earned him the nickname "the monk".

However, he has failed to replicate the same kind of form in the recent past and more than the numbers, his tendency to play at and edge seemingly harmless deliveries outside off-stump is the cause of concern. It started in South Africa and worryingly, continued to happen in the Edgbaston Test where he was dropped in the slips in both innings. For India's sake, it is imperative that Vijay sorts out this issue as soon as possible as he still remains the first-choice opener of the team.

So who should the second opener be then? There's nothing to choose between Dhawan and Rahul on the basis of their performance in the first Test and this is where India must ensure that they do not repeat a mistake from the past- shuffling openers early in a long series abroad.

Questions still remain over the logic of selecting Dhawan in the first place, but given that he was picked and didn't do too badly in comparison to the rest of the batting lineup, he must be given an extended run before being dropped. As for Rahul, there is no doubt that he is a special player; all he needs to do is wait for his opportunity.

2) The Cheteshwar Pujara conundrum

Pujara is struggling for form in 2018

First things first- how did a man with 14 Test centuries and an average above 50 find himself out of the team?

A combination of factors went against him.

Signed up by Yorkshire after being ignored at the IPL auction, he was the only Indian batsman to play county cricket this season. Unfortunately for him, it was far from being a memorable stint as he managed a meagre 100 runs from 8 innings.

Lack of runs in South Africa didn't help his case either and his inability to score big against Afghanistan added to his woes. Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan kept piling on the runs for India across formats and KL Rahul carried his IPL form to international cricket.

Pujara failed to make an impact in the practice match leading up to the first Test where Rahul scored another half-century. Consequently, the team management preferred Rahul's form and Dhawan's flamboyance to Pujara's solidity.

Is that fair on Pujara?

No way. As mentioned earlier, he is the only batsman from India's Test squad to have played county cricket and it's really harsh for him to be judged on the basis of his performance there as most Indian batsmen would probably struggle even more in those conditions. Having spent two months in England, Pujara gained valuable experience of playing on a variety of pitches there and adjusting to different conditions.

He has been India's most consistent Test batsman over the last couple of years and his ability to bat time is an invaluable asset to the team. A lean start to 2018 is definitely not a good enough reason to bench him.

Forget about the perceived versatility that Rahul brings to the team; India need solidity and composure from their No.3 batsman and there is no one better than Pujara for that role.

3) What's wrong with Ajinkya Rahane?

It's been a year since Rahane's last Test century

Ajinkya Rahane has been a pale shadow of himself over the past 12 months- he has passed the score of 20 just once in 9 innings, that instance being the match-winning 48 in Johannesburg in January. He has been India's most consistent batsman in tough conditions overseas, having scored centuries in Lord's, Wellington, Melbourne and Kingston along with a 96 in Durban in 2013. His prolonged lean patch is a worrying sign for India.

Rahane has proven his skills across the world leaving no doubt about his ability. So it is probably a case of him being low on self-confidence. Despite being the vice-captain, he was dropped from the team during the South Africa tour which may have further dented his confidence.

The team management must ensure that this feeling of insecurity is eliminated and Rahane is given the best possible opportunity to express himself. A sound batting technique combined with experience is exactly what the team needs and that is why Rahane is so crucial to India's chances in the series.

4) The Role of Hardik Pandya in India's Test team

Batting all-rounder? Bowling all-rounder? or None of the Above?

When Hardik Pandya burst onto the scene, there was excitement that India may have finally found a genuine fast-bowling all-rounder. People talked of how he would bring an unprecedented balance to the team. Pandya made his international debut in 2016. The 'how' is yet to be answered.

Not that it is his fault, by the way. Despite early signs of his batting being superior to his bowling, the team management continued to persist with using him as a fifth bowler in limited-overs cricket and used his batting skills sparingly. This led to a remarkable improvement in his bowling over a period of time and he also made some useful contributions with the bat whenever given the opportunity.

Batting at no.7 and bowling his full quota of overs more often than not, he was clearly being developed into a bowling all-rounder for ODIs and T20s.

In 2017, he was selected in the Test team and this is where the debate regarding his role began to intensify. Virat Kohli mentioned in a press conference that he wants Pandya to develop into India's Ben Stokes.

Stokes bats at no.5 for England and is the fifth bowler of the team; he makes the team on his batting alone while his bowling acts as an add-on skill. Pandya was still perceived as a bowling all-rounder and so, batting in the top six would be too high for him.

But then, who is a bowling all-rounder? One who is among the four front-line bowlers of the team and adds value with the bat. Pandya didn't make it to this category either by virtue of being the fifth bowler of the team.

The question gained momentum during India's tour of South Africa this year where a counter-attacking 93 urged people to think why Pandya was batting down at no.7. When he bowled impressive spells, one thought that he is good enough to be one of four, instead of being one of five in the attack.

However, an important fact to note is the lack of consistency in these performances with both bat and ball. At this stage of his career, it is unreal to expect him to excel in both skills simultaneously, but he must specialize in one in order to avoid becoming the proverbial bits-and-pieces cricketer.

So, it is a decision the Indian team must make sooner rather than later. In the second innings of the Edgbaston Test, Pandya didn't bowl an over and batted at no.8. India must find a way to effectively utilize a multi-skilled cricketer like Pandya if they are to pick him in the side. If he is playing, he must either bat at no.6 or bowl more overs, otherwise, it is wiser to opt for a specialist in either department.