India's selection mistakes are underlined on gruesome day for the tourists

SIMON HUGHES AT LORD'S: The tourists will struggle to come back from this with three seamers, one of whom is Hardik Pandya. And don’t they know it

^{Murali Vijay is bowled by Jimmy Anderson}

It was England who used to make the selection howlers.

There was a classic 25 years ago when Graham Gooch’s team, coached by Keith Fletcher, were playing at Eden Gardens, Calcutta.

They selected four seamers, including Paul Taylor (remember him?). They obviously thought they were playing at Chelmsford.

India picked three spinners (including Anil Kumble who Fletcher had ‘spied’ on and said there wasn’t much to worry about.) There was little doubt about the result. India won by 8 wickets.

^{Ed Smith has made some shrewd selections}

READ: A conversation between two diehards in the rain

With Ed Smith at the helm there is a little more science and smartness to England’s selections. Four seamers was spot on for these juicy conditions at Lord’s, despite the two-month drought.

The bowling backed up the meticulousness of the selections. The length was invitingly full, the off-stump line interrogating. No Indian batsman bar Ajinkya Rahane had an answer.

There was hesitation and confusion in India’s batting. It stemmed from their own selection howlers. They should have had two spinners at Edgbaston.

The ball turned from the seventh over on the first day. Compensating for their mistake there they picked two spinners here where they only needed one. 

^{Anderson acknowledges the applause of the crowd}

The sight of Jimmy Anderson bending one past Murali Vijay’s ambitious flick in the first over would soon have convinced them of that. The sight of five slips to Chris Woakes would have reaffirmed it.

It's a remarkable effort by the Lord’s groundstaff to create seaming conditions during the hottest London summer on record but the ball swung and zipped around like it does at the Home of Cricket in early April. 

Indian bats groped and flailed just like Northants ones in the first match of the season here (Northants were soon 41 for nine; India didn’t fare much better as they limped to 107 all out). 

They will struggle to come back from this with three seamers, one of whom is Hardik Pandya. And don’t they know it.

And then Trent Bridge is next, where Anderson averages 19 per wicket. They better get their selections right there or the series is gone.  

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