India must get their combination right

India must get their combination right
London: India's biggest task as they take on England in the fourth Test at The Oval on Thursday is to get their combination right, something that they have not managed in three Tests so far.
At the moment, there is a crisis at the top of the order, there is a big hole in the lower middle order and the bowling looks completely clueless. Virender Sehwag is riding on a king pair, but the team should persist with him at the top of the order if they are to give themselves a chance of a fight back. If the opener can spend some quality time in the middle, the England bowlers will surely feel the pressure.
The challenge though is in the middle order. Suresh Raina has been attacked by a barrage of short-pitched deliveries and failed to face up to the challenge. The key decision that the team management will have to take is whether they will replace him with either Abhinav Mukund or Virat Kohli.
Even though Kohli is talented and one can back him for his killer instinct, Mukund may have the egde over Kohli this time having spent some time in the middle. The opener also hit a hundred in the two-day game against Northamptonshire. But this is the time to go with the gut and Kohli seems to be the man who can take the fight to the opposition.
MS Dhoni did look like getting into form in the third Test, but he will have to back up that performance with a consistent show, while Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Gautam Gambhir will have to put a price on their wickets.
The problem does not end there as India's bowling lineup will need to be tuned up as well. Praveen Kumar, who has been India's best bowler in Zaheer Khan's absence, took a nasty blow on his wrist in the third Test and the team management has said that he is racing against time.

The choice then could fall between RP Singh and Munaf Patel. The second option is to play both RP and Munaf by dropping both Praveen and S Sreesanth. Ishant will be the third pacer. There is no logic anymore to bring Praveen into the team if he's not fully fit because if he pulls out midway through the game, it could be curtains for Team India.