IND v ENG: Predicting Team India's playing XI based on the warm-up game
Team India's final Test match against England is only days away. The Men in Blue will go into the match with an unassailable 2-1 lead over the hosts that they had earned before the series was halted last year due to a COVID scare.
Last week, the Indians played in a much-needed warm-up game against Leicestershire at the Uptonsteel Country Ground. As many as 17 players from the visitors' camp featured in the game, with some like Cheteshwar Pujara opting to play for both sides.
The Men in Blue registered scores of 246/8 and 364/7 in their two innings. Leicestershire, meanwhile, put 244 and 219/4 on the board, and the contest ended in a draw at the end of Day 4.
A big positive for Team India was Virat Kohli's return to form. The 33-year-old looked to be in good touch as he scored 67 runs in the second innings. The former skipper hasn't reached the three-figure mark in two-and-a-half years, and his encouraging showing ahead of the crucial Test is a good sign for the team.
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Alongside Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and KS Bharat also scored fifties at different stages of the match.
With skipper Rohit Sharma testing positive for COVID-19, the team management has an uphill task on their hands of selecting the playing XI for the final Test against England.
Predicting India's playing XI against England
With Rohit Sharma's availability for the match being doubtful, sorting the opening combination will be a major hassle for the camp. KS Bharat, who impressed everyone with his gritty performance against Leicestershire, could be slotted in to open the innings alongside Shubhman Gill.
The wicketkeeper-batter was the top scorer for his team in the first innings with an unbeaten knock of 70 runs. He proved his mettle as an opener in the second innings as well, scoring 43 runs off 98 balls. Together with Gill, he stitched a 62-run opening stand before the former was dismissed in the 14th over.
Considering Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant's certain inclusion in the playing XI, the position of the sixth batter will be up for grabs. Shreyas Iyer, who scored 62 runs in the second innings of the warm-up game, could have the edge over Hanuma Vihari following the latter's poor showing against Leicestershire.
Amongst the quicks, Jasprit Bumrah will surely partner with Mohammed Shami against England. A tussle for the third pacer's spot is likely to take place between Shardul Thakur and Navdeep Saini.
Although Saini picked up three wickets in the warm-up game, having Thakur in the ranks will add depth to Team India's batting.
Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who shared five wickets amongst themselves at the Uptonsteel County Ground, are most certainly going to feature at Edgbaston.
With the team likely to be announced in the coming days, here's our take on the predicted XI ahead of the final Test against England:
India: KS Bharat, Shubhman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah (C).