England vs India 2018: Likely Indian playing XI for Lord's Test

England v India: Specsavers 1st Test - Day Three

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya has been tipped to be the all-rounder in the Test matches that India has been looking for a long time now. Pandya had a decent outing with the bat in the last match, but his bowling left a lot to be desired. He was ineffective as a bowler in the first innings, which meant that Kohli did not have the confidence to call upon him in the second innings. He has also been inconsistent with the bat before the England tour.

Except the 93 that he made in the first innings of the first Test against South Africa earlier this year, he failed in all the other five innings of that series. Does this mean he could be replaced by a proper batsman with India going with only four specialist bowlers? This scenario looks unlikely for now, and Pandya is set to maintain his position in the team.

Ishant Sharma

Overall, Ishant had a good Test match as he took a total of six wickets. He had ordinary first innings, in which he took only one wicket, but the change in strategy got him five wickets in the second innings. He bowled from around the stumps in the second innings to all the left-handers in the England team, which reaped him rich rewards. This will mean that his place in the playing eleven is guaranteed for the next match.

Mohammed Shami

Shami had good first innings in the last Test match in which he took three wickets. However, in the second innings, he was not able to handle the new ball effectively. This resulted in him going wicketless in the second innings. But I think he has done enough to win the confidence of the team management, especially with his performance in the first innings.