India vs Select County XI: 3 takeaways from the three-day warm-up fixture

The all-important warm-up match between India and Select County XI ended in a draw on Thursday (July 22).

With players from all departments of the game getting a good workout, the visitors will have made enough notes that will be integral to the changes they will ring in when they face England in the first Test at Nottingham on August 4.

From KL Rahul getting some runs under his belt, to Ravindra Jadeja showing his batting prowess in Tests that could make him an automatic choice for the second all-rounder, there are enough talking points which this article attempts to discuss.

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#1 Cheteshwar Pujara's chance to iron out his wrinkles

After a dismal World Test Championship (WTC) final outing, the Saurashtra batsman was one of the players who came under the radar for his lackluster performances. However, he had a chance to bat in both innings, and the second stint saw him open as well.

Pujara's scores of 21 and 38 may signal that he is still working on issues that having pegged his game back. Our observation was that footwork, which was one of the bedrocks of his game along with the monk-like patience was missing. He does appear reluctant when it comes to moving his feet while playing the quicks, although that chink is not seen when he faces spin.

The second innings knock was a lot more promising as he also scored his runs at a fairly quick clip. Meanwhile, it is too early to speculate whether he will be benched in Tests. India's upcoming intra-squad match will be crucial to see whether he makes the playing XI. For now, it does look like he may.

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#2 KL Rahul, Jadeja push their case for India's middle-order slots

KL Rahul scored a composed century for India in the first innings. The assured display helped the Punjab Kings skipper make a strong case for himself. That, though, doesn't really guarantee a slot in Test matches.

Recent reports suggest Rahul is being looked at as a middle-order batsman. Whether that comes at the cost of Ajinkya Rahane being benched or India making room for a specialist batsman remains to be seen.

Ravindra Jadeja, with twin 50s in both innings, has all but made sure he will find a spot in the playing XI if India decide to go with a two-pronged spin attack.

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#3 Umesh Yadav's still got it, Siraj likely to get a nod

With impressive figures of 3/22, Umesh Yadav proved he wasn't a forgotten commodity. His periodic strike ensured India would walk in to bat with a healthy lead in the second innings. There was pace, and with the swing on offer, Yadav bowled with a zen-like control that makes it hard to ignore when the think-tank sit down to select the XI.

Mohammed Siraj and Ishant Sharma made headlines ahead of the WTC final with rumors milling that the Hyderabad quick would replace Sharma in the side. With skipper Virat Kohli too hinting that he would love to play Siraj, chances are he is in line to replace one of the seamers when India face England.