What happens to India’s combination for do-or-die Manchester Test with Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akash Deep ruled out

A triple injury blow, coupled with uncertainty over Rishabh Pant’s availability after his injury at Lord’s, has triggered a selection headache for the 4th Test.

India's preparations for the fourth Test against England in Manchester hit a major roadblock on Sunday after as many as three players were left injured. Two of those players have been practically ruled out of the tour. The Old Trafford Test will begin on July 23, and the game will be a do-or-die affair for the tourists, who earlier lost the third match at Lord's, thus trailing 1-2 in the series.

The fourth Test will begin on July 23

Left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh received stitches on his hand after being hit by a ball in the nets earlier last week. The Indian Express reported on Sunday that he might take 10 days to recover, implying that while he is ruled out of contention for a spot in the XI for the fourth Test, he stands highly unlikely for a return even in the series finale at The Oval, which will begin on July 31. Hence, the selectors reportedly added Anshul Kamboj as a cover.

The same report highlighted that fellow pacer Akash Deep, who was the hero in India's 336-run win in Birmingham with his record 10-wicket match haul, remains doubtful for the game in Manchester after being seen struggling with a groin niggle in the third Test.

Later, Hindustan Times reported that all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy suffered an injury while training in the gym on Sunday. He then underwent scans, which revealed significant ligament damage. He, too, has been all but ruled out of the tour.

What happens to India's combination now for the Manchester Test?

A triple injury blow, coupled with uncertainty over Rishabh Pant’s availability after his finger injury at Lord’s, has triggered a major selection headache for the fourth Test.

India are likely to call back Shardul Thakur into the playing XI to replace injured Nitish. The Mumbai all-rounder played in the series opener in Leeds last month, before being dropped. He had scored just four runs and picked up two wickets in that game.

Akash's injury has left the chatter around Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj's workload in limbo. If anything, the Bengal fast bowler's injury has made Bumrah's selection for the fourth Test a certainty, and Siraj will accompany him. However, with Arshdeep down with an injury, India could pick Harshit Rana as Akash's replacement. The Delhi speedster was a last-minute addition to the Indian squad ahead of the match at Headingley, after his India A tour game performance.

The other possibility is handing Kuldeep Yadav his first game on the tour. Although this would be a much-anticipated move by the management, it would leave India thin in the pace department, given that the XI already has two spinners—all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Given his template, head coach Gautam Gambhir is unlikely to compromise on dropping one of the spin-bowling all-rounders for a specialist leggie.

The third possibility is handing Kamboj a debut cap. He impressed with his performance in the two India A matches and his show in the last Ranji Trophy season. However, that would likely raise the question of hierarchy, given that Harshit was India's first choice as a backup pacer in the squad.

Pant brushed aside all the talk around his injury after he took to social media to post a video of his training session, captioned: "If calm had a sound, it would be this." The vice-captain, who was replaced by Dhruv Jurel for keeping duties in both innings in the Lord's Test, was seen in fielding drills, playing football and even batting in the nets during a training session before the Manchester game.

India's likely XI for 4th Test against England: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shardul Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.