Manchester: India to bat first in the must-win test; Kamboj gets maiden test cap

Sports News: Ben Stokes won the toss and has opted to bowl first in Manchester. Straight after Shubham Gill lost the toss, he signalled towards the dressing room that they're batting first in the overcast conditions. Three changes have been announced by the India skipper, two of which are forced ones due to injuries. Nistish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep are not in the eleven due to injury concerns. They have been replaced by Shardul Thakur and debutant Anshul Kamboj, respectively.

Sai Sudharsan replaces Karun Nair at no. 3. Trailing 1-2 in the five-match series, India finds itself in a must-win situation. Liam Dawson has come in for the injured Shaoib Bashir in the English side.

Three changes in Manchester

Skipper Shubman Gill announced the three changes after the coin toss. Sai Sudharsan has come in for Karun Nair, who has had a lean patch in the series so far. Nitish Reddy suffered a left-knee injury earlier and has been ruled out of the remaining tour. Akash Deep was also unfit to play prior to the Test match. There were talks of Arshdeep Singh replacing Akash Deep, but he too was hit on his thumb while bowling in the nets. Anshul Kamboj has made his debut after he was called as a cover for the injured Deep.

Overcast conditions

India is put into bat first under the clouds. It is chilly at the moment in Manchester. Although the wicket is hard and firm to bat on, the overcast conditions might work the trick for the English bowlers. KL Rahul has looked in fine touch throughout the series, scoring two sensational centuries. Yashaswi Jaiswal has had a tour of ups and downs. He scored a fine hundred in the first innings at Leeds, followed by a 70+ score in the second test. Since then, the young opener has not fired for India.

Still no Kuldeep

Kuldeep Yadav was among the talks to play as a spinner in the Manchester test. But the management has again opted for playing three all-rounders in place of a specialist wrist-spinner. The Chinaman is yet to play a match on this tour, in which India already trails by 1-2.