Shardul Thakur injury may see Ishant Sharma's return to favourite Lord's

India would have preferred going in without any changes from the first Test, but Shardul Thakur has a hamstring injury and is out of contention.

India’s memories of their last outing in a Lord's Test are not so sweet. In 2018, they were blown away by England’s seamers in what turned out to be an innings defeat. It did not help that their reading of the 22 yards was poor; their two spinners ploy on a green surface backfired.

India's Ishant Sharma bowls in the nets during a practice session ahead of the Lord's Test (AP)

With lessons from that outing, and carrying positives from the Nottingham Test, India again face the same question: do they play a second spinner or not? India would have preferred going in without any changes from the first Test, but Shardul Thakur has a hamstring injury and is out of contention.

“The good thing is (Ravindra) Jadeja has got runs in the first game already," skipper Virat Kohli said at the pre-match presser. "So, he will go in the second game confident. That already makes our batting a bit deep.”

Anywhere else, the three-Test old Thakur’s absence wouldn’t have worried India with the wealth of bowling resources at their disposal. But in English conditions, Thakur lends the necessary balance with the variety he brings as someone who can swing the Dukes ball as well as pull his weight with the bat.

“We don’t feel we are a batsman short, if Shardul doesn’t play. We will definitely think first about picking 20 wickets, not try to plug another guy who will give us some runs with the bat. We feel very comfortable after how the first Test went,” Kohli said.

At Nottingham, India took the brave call in overlooking the 719 wickets between Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin and did not pick either. Sharma looks set to return and form India’s new four-pronged pace attack.

"In these conditions, four fast bowlers mean you can apply pressure in every session. That fourth guy does the job of being very consistent. We are definitely not going to under bowl anyone," Kohli said.

Ashwin’s reputation and recent form of being an all-weather spinner and a strong batsman may still not earn him a place in the playing XI.

Sharma is the hero of India’s 2014 Lords Test win and knows all about the art of bowling to the slope. He has been at his best in the past three years, pitching the ball at more threatening lengths. Although his presence would lengthen India’s tail, prospects of Sharma bowling in tandem with Mohammed Siraj will excite Indian cricket fans.

ENGLAND’S CONCERNS

England are left to make more difficult selection calls. They may be the home side, but none of their batsmen has felt at home. Joe Root alone has scored almost 30 percent of their runs this year. On days he fails to score big, their batting disintegrates. England’s top three – Dom Sibley, Rory Burns and Zak Crawley’s combined average is 20.29 in 2021.

“Joe's been phenomenal for the last six months, really. But what we need to do is make sure that the guys that are batting with him are coming to the party as well. We need the guys around Joe scoring some more runs to take the pressure off him,” head coach Chris Silverwood told reporters. “Does that mean there will be changes? It's something we've got to consider constantly. We have to make sure we've got the right people on the park.”

Haseeb Hameed, who began his Test career in India impressively as a 19-year-old and later lost form, has rediscovered his mojo. With a 100 in the side game against India, he is back in contention to shore up England’s misfiring batting. Moeen Ali appears likely to start, as much for his batting as for his off-spin. If their batting worries were not enough, Stuart Broad has been ruled out of the Test with a calf muscle tear, and James Anderson is also a doubtful starter due to tight quadriceps.