India will play the fourth Test of their five-match series against England on July 19. Ahead of the match at Old Trafford, the visitors face a few team selection headaches.
England currently lead the series 2-1 with two matches remaining, though India have shown impressive moments. Their historic first-ever victory at Edgbaston and a fighting lower-order rearguard at Lord's – where they rallied from 82-7 while chasing 193 before narrowly losing – demonstrated the visitors' competitive spirit.
Ahead of the crucial fourth Test in Manchester, India face several team selection questions. The most pressing is whether to play Jasprit Bumrah - who was originally scheduled for only three of the five Tests due to workload management. Having already featured in two matches, his inclusion remains a question mark.
Also read: Explained: Why India win more Tests without Bumrah than with him
India also await fitness updates on Rishabh Pant, who injured his finger while keeping at Lord's. Though he batted effectively (scoring 74 and 9), he was unable to keep wickets for most of the match.
Another selection headache is their No.3 batter Karun Nair, who, despite making a much-awaited comeback, hasn't quite set the stage on fire yet, managing zero, 20, 31, 26, 40 and 14 so far. On the other hand, dropping him would likely mean going back to B Sai Sudharsan, who started the series at No.3 but went out of the side after the first Test.
India opted for spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar in the third Test, to bolster their batting at No.8. His match-turning 4-22 in England’s second innings has likely secured his spot for the next Test, but seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is less certain to play.
