With two defeats in the the first two test matches, India take on England at Trent Bridge starting on Saturday, in what could well be a make-or-break match for the visitors.
The focus, as it was before the first two Tests, will be on what Virat Kohli’s XI is going to be. All the indications that the captain’s fitness is not a concern anymore, and that comes as a major relief for a team struggling with the bat. But, elsewhere, we could see more changes given hardly any other batsman has looked in good touch. Are we going to see different opening combination for the third Test after a pair for M Vijay at Lord’s in the second Test? Will Kohli be tempted to bring Shikhar Dhawan back in, given he looked in decent touch in the first Test before throwing his wicket away in both innings?
And then the middle order, where Dinesh Karthik’s position is under the scanner with Sourav Ganguly suggesting it’s time for India to give Rishabh Pant a go. Ajinkya Rahane’s form is a concern as well but you’d think the vice-captain’s position is not under any immediate threat.
While the bowlers have largely performed well, Kohli and Ravi Shastri’s admission after the defeat at Lord’s that Kuldeep Yadav’s selection was an error in hindsight, a change in the bowling line-up is pretty much guaranteed. Jasprit Bumrah’s availability is a boost in that sense.
So, if you were making the decisions, what would your selection be? Take the survey below and let us know.
Note: Make sure you select only eleven players overall and avoid repetition of selections between categories.
