India set to make three changes in third Test

Bumrah was out of action due to a fractured thumb but has recovered fully and will bolster India’s seam attack along with Mohammad Shami and Ishant Sharma.

Meanwhile, a fit-again Jaspirt Bumrah is certain to make it to the playing XI in place of Kuldeep Yadav, who had very little impact in the rain-affected second Test match.

On the other hand, the 20-year-old Delhi stumper batted with the Indian top-order and kept with the slip cordon for the first time in the tour. The regular keeper Dinesh Karthik was hardly visible in the nets.

Karthik, who replaced an injured Saha, has been found wanting with the bat in the first two matches. With scores of 0, 20, 1 and 0 Karthik has left the team management no option but to consider Pant.

India head coach Ravi Shahstri did not give out much about India’s wicket-keeper for the third Test. “You will only now about Pant on 11 am (toss time) on Saturday,” said Shastri.

The headlines of India’s first practice session at Trent Bridge, however, belonged to Virat Kohli and Rishah Pant. The former seemed fine while batting and taking slip catches. The soared back did not have any bearings on Kohli's movements.

If there were any doubts, India’s first practice session at Trent Bridge on Thursday cleared it all where the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant spent more time than regulars Vijay, Pujara and Karthik.

A host of changes is expected for the third Test as Shikhar Dhawan and Jasprit Bumrah are in line to make a comeback in the playing XI and wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant is in line to make his Test debut.

With doubts over Virat Kohli’s fitness cleared, he is certain to bat at no.4, meaning either Vijay or Rahul will make way for Dhawan, who himself was axed after the first Test.

India have been struggling to find the right opening combination and this will be India’s third different opening pair if Dhawan does find a place in the playing XI on Saturday.

The last time India played with an unchanged playing XI in successive Test matches was under MS Dhoni’s captaincy four years ago in England. Virat Kohli, in his 37 Test matches as captain has never fielded the same playing XI, not even when India were steamrolling the opposition in their own backyard.

Considering Kohli’s track record as a captain and the current state of Team India, one does not need to be an astrologer to predict changes in the playing XI for the third Test match at Trent Bridge starting on Saturday.