England vs India 2018: Rishabh Pant set for Test debut at Trent Bridge

Two days before the third Test at Trent Bridge, Rishabh Pant's increased load during the training session might just indicate that the wicketkeeper-batsman might be in line to make his Test debut on Saturday. It is still unclear whether Dinesh Karthik, who kept wickets in the first two Tests, will be replaced or if he will feature as a specialist batsman.

During the wicketkeeping drills, it was Karthik who was feeding balls to Pant and it is still unclear whether the 33-year-old will miss out due to injury or poor form. He has scored just 21 runs in two Tests, including two ducks, on his Test comeback after eight years. But on the third day of the second Test, he was wincing in pain and was attended to by the team physio Patrick Farhart.

However, he did do some training with the rest of the team ahead of the third Test at Trent Bridge and it remains to be seen if his poor form with the bat might result in him being dropped. Pant might also make it into the side just as a specialist batsman as he was training even after all the specialist batsmen had finished their rounds.

When asked about the possibility of Pant, making his Test debut at Nottingham, India coach Ravi Shastri was non-committal, saying "about Rishabh, you will know 11 am day after".

The selection of the 20-year-old for the Test squad for the first three Tests was a surprise even though first-choice keeper Wriddhiman Saha was ruled out with an injury. In his brief first-class career, Pant has an average of almost 55 and an incredible strike rate of 95 with a triple century to his name as well.

He has played in four T20Is for India and impressed during India A's tour of England, where he scored at an average of 63, including three fifties in the two first-class matches.