India vs England 3rd Test Preview : Kohli's fitness, team combination worry India

Nottingham, August 17: Shaken by the abject surrender in the first two Tests, a desperate India are expected to ring in a slew of changes as they aim at redemption against a rampaging England in a do-or-die third Test, starting on Saturday (August 18).

For Indian team, the Trent Bridge Test will be their last chance to save the series after being outplayed in the first two Test matches -- by 31 runs at Edgbaston and innings and 159 runs at the Lord's. Down 0-2 with only five and half days of competitive cricket in all, skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri will be aiming to get the team combination right having bungled at the Lord's.

The most awaited change will be 20-year-old Rishabh Pant's imminent Test debut replacing an out-of-form Dinesh Karthik, who might well have played his last international game in the longest format.

With scores of 0, 20, 1 & 0 in four innings coupled with shoddy glovework meant that Karthik was seen giving catching practice to Pant, who also spend considerable time batting at the nets. Being hailed as Mahendra Singh Dhoni's successor, Pant's entry into the squad happened after three half-centuries in the two first-class matches against England Lions.

Despite a triple hundred and a healthy first-class average of 54 plus, it will still be baptism by fire for the Roorkee-born youngster. He will be facing Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes, ready to make life miserable for him just like they have done with his illustrious seniors.

Stokes desperate to help England: Root

📸📸

Snapshots from #TeamIndia's training session ahead of the 3rd Test against England.#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/7eiTTiuRqz

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 16, 2018

It is the impact of the last defeat in swing-friendly conditions across just over six sessions that is still hurting the Indian camp. Throughout the week, they have been left picking up the pieces, mostly in terms of re-evaluating fitness of their key players.

In that aspect at least, there is some good news. Jasprit Bumrah is fit again; R Ashwin and Hardik Pandya have recovered completely from their hand injuries suffered while batting at Lords, and skipper Kohli has more or less recovered from his back problems.

"I'm feeling absolutely fine," Kohli told a news conference. "It has been an issue that has been coming on and off."

Kohli also welcomed back Bumrah, who has recovered from the thumb injury he suffered against Ireland in a Twenty20 international.

"We're very excited with Jasprit getting fit again," the skipper said. "He's an attacking bowler and bowls good lines and length.

"He's very consistent in hitting the areas that are required at Test level - he's shown that in South Africa already.

"He's one guy who's really aggressive in his mind and wants to take the situation head-on and make the batsmen feel uncomfortable out there in the middle. That's his biggest strength. He relishes the challenge when given the opportunity.

"We're very excited that he's coming back. He's a quality bowler and it's great to have someone like that on the park."

At Trent Bridge, there are bound to be changes in the playing eleven for some vital members of the squad are now seemingly bereft of confidence. Murali Vijay, for example, has scored only 128 runs in 10 overseas Test innings against South Africa and England. An average of 12.8 is tough to ignore, but for a batsman of his calibre, the team management could still afford another chance given that India need to win this game.

#TeamIndia's pace battery sweating it out in the nets ahead of the 3rd Test against England.#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/mubxGaVITE

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 17, 2018

At the same time however, it brings Shikhar Dhawan back into contention. He averages 17.75 against South Africa and England in two Tests this year, and his overall average in England is 20.12 (four Tests). In these two instances, he has scored at a strike-rate of 68.93 and 57.29, respectively, which could once again go in his favour.

Thus, there is every chance that India could opt for their third different opening pairing of Dhawan and KL Rahul in as many Tests, the middle order will be untouched. Especially with Kohli regaining fitness, Karun Nair still isn't seen to be active during practice sessions. It was the case in Birmingham and London, as well as in Nottingham, and playing an extra specialist batsman is not in the managements immediate plans as yet.

If it so transpires, Umesh Yadav will once again be unlucky to miss out, for the team management will be eager to get their best possible combination out on the field.

The pitch at Trent Bridge bore a different look than 2014, when these two teams met here. India scored 457 and 391/9 decl in two innings on a flat surface, as England had scored 496 whilst batting once and the match petered out to a draw.

We're here at Trent Bridge ahead of the 3rd Test against England.#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/9OiMnLNpkO

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 16, 2018

The forecast for this third Test is of decent cloud cover through the first four days, and if the Indian team takes into consideration, they would surely opt for just the lone spinner.

Meanwhile, England have a big selection headache on their hands. Ben Stokes' re-assimilation in the squad has gone off smoothly, and after spending the past week away, he went through rigorous batting and bowling sessions on Thursday.

He got a decent reception from a sizeable fan gathering ahead of the game, but how the crowd reacts to his presence in the game on Saturday could be a worry for the team management.

Live on SONY Network from 3.30 pm