India will have to do without Akash Deep for the fourth Test at Old Trafford after the seamer failed to shake off a groin strain picked up at Lord’s. Captain Shubman Gill confirmed the 28-year-old “has not returned to full fitness”, leaving the visitors to choose between uncapped right-armer Anshul Kamboj and the taller, better-known Prasidh Krishna.
That decision is only part of the headache. India have also lost Nitish Kumar Reddy (knee) for the rest of the series, so the XI could change in two different spots on Friday morning.
Gill admitted Kamboj is close to a first cap, though he kept his cards reasonably close to his chest. “He [Kamboj] is very close to making his debut,” Gill said. “We’re going to see tomorrow between him and Prasidh as to who’s going to make it to the XI.”
Why the dilemma? On numbers alone, Kamboj looks the tidier replacement. He swings the new ball, nips it both ways off the seam, and at domestic level goes at just under three an over. Prasidh, around 6ft 3in, hits the splice but has paid 55.16 runs per wicket in this series and has leaked 5.33 per over. India like his bounce, yet the figures are hard to ignore.
Batting depth could tip the scales as well. Kamboj averages 16.20 in first-class cricket, strikes at 73 and has already launched 22 sixes in only 24 matches. Prasidh, by contrast, has 198 runs in 23 games at 8.6. It is hardly a make-or-break metric, but in English conditions one extra boundary late on can matter.
For Gill, it is about trusting the wider squad. “The kind of skillset that he brings to the table is exactly what we want in this team and he’s there because we believe that he can win us the match,” Gill said of Kamboj. “Even in the second Test match, when Akash Deep was brought in, a lot of people had questions why he’s been brought in, but it’s mainly the belief that we have within our squad that any player that comes in the team is able to or can win matches for us.”
Elsewhere, B Sai Sudharsan is expected to return as a specialist batter to cover Reddy’s absence. Should the pitch look green enough, the management may then swap out Washington Sundar for seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur to keep the balance right.
Old Trafford is usually kinder to pace than some English venues, although two days of drizzle have complicated the reading of the surface. “When I saw the wicket yesterday, it didn’t look that damp,” Gill noted. “But obviously now having to look at the weather, I don’t think there is much chance for the wicket to dry that moisture out. So I think there will be a little bit more for the bowlers. And generally at this venue, it’s a little bit quicker than the other venues we have seen. There’s a bit more pace and bounce.”
With Jasprit Bumrah already earmarked for what the team staff call his “third of three promised Tests” this series, India cannot afford another frontline quick to break down. Their medical team believe Akash Deep might recover in time for The Oval, yet nobody is taking that for granted.
One small tactical wrinkle still to be ironed out concerns Karun Nair’s position if Sudharsan does slot back in. In the opener both men played, and Nair shuffled a spot lower than usual. That could happen again, though it will depend on the shape of the bowling attack and any overnight rain.
Nothing has been signed off yet, and the final XI will remain under wraps until the last possible moment – hardly unusual on an English tour. What is clear, though, is that India have one enforced change and one or two strategic gambles to weigh up before the coin goes up in Manchester.
