All you need to know about the first India-England Test at Rajkot

#4 Will hosts go with a three-two bowling combination?

Hardik Pandya could take up the second seamer slot

Anil Kumble felt that Hardik Pandya’s entry into the squad presents him with an additional option for the second seamer’s position. While the all rounder has been spending considerable time during practice, his selection should depend a lot on the surface. If wickets needed to be prised out rather than picked in a heap, Pandya stands a huge chance to make his debut.

Meanwhile, the visitors are likely to bring back Gareth Batty at the expense of left-armer Zafar Ansari seeing how the latter fared in his maiden outing at Dhaka. Stuart Broad is set to take up the responsibility of leading the bowling attack after he was given a breather.

Probable Playing Eleven

India

Murali Vijay, Gautam Gambhir, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra and Mohammed Shami

England

Alastair Cook (c), Haseeb Hameed, Joe Root, Ben Duckett, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Johnny Bairstow (wk), Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Gareth Batty and Stuart Broad