England vs India, Third Test, 2018: Ben Stokes Replaces Sam Curran in the England Playing XI

As expected, England has announced its playing eleven one day before the start of the test. One of the questions that went through the mind of every English fan, was whether Stokes will get to play this test. This was one of the talking points in Great Britain, mainly due to the fact that England head coach Bayliss had stated that Stokes will not be a certainty in the eleven.

Everyone wanted Stokes to play, with his ball doing the talking in the first test. Nobody wanted Woakes to be dropped either. The two all-rounders were expected to add weight to this English lineup, which is already brimming in confidence after a magnificent victory at Lord's.

The wish of every cricket fan was fulfilled as they got to see both Stokes and Woakes in the playing eleven. In fact, England made just a solitary change. All of a sudden, that particular change has become the talk of the town as Sam Curran made way to Ben Stokes.

Is it really fair on Sam Curran? The sad answer is an obvious No. Having won the Man of the match award in the first test with an all-around performance and being extremely good in the second test as well, Curran certainly deserved a better treatment than this. It is true that Stokes was expected to be back in the eleven, but nobody expected the 20-year-old Sam Curran to be dropped to accommodate Stokes.

The question in most part of England right now would be: Is Adil Rashid a better bet compared to Sam Curran in these conditions? Again, the answer has to be No. The pacers and Anderson, in particular, always have fond memories attached to Trent Bridge, Nottingham. When such is the case, it is quite baffling that a highly talented left-arm pacer in Sam Curran was left out and Adil Rashid, a spinner, is still in the playing eleven.

What makes it one of the most debatable and perplexing decisions is the fact that Rashid did not get to bowl a single over in the entirety of the second test and he did not contribute much in the first test as well. With the bat, well, we all know how crucial was Sam Curran's 63 in the first test and Rashid was no match to Curran in the batting department too.

This pitch is a fast bowler's paradise and Sam Curran was a far more valuable player than Adil Rashid. Still, Curran was dropped from the English scheme of things and Rashid is all set to take the field for one more test.

This has got to be one of the highly insane decisions from Joe Root and Trevor Bayliss. Maybe they thought that spin was going to play a pivotal role in this test? If that is the case, their thought process is completely wrong since pacers are bound to succeed in Trent Bridge as far as stats are anything to go by.

Stokes and Woakes would certainly play a major role in England's performance but with Sam Curran missing out, England will be missing a good quality left arm-pacer and a clean hitter down the order.

The 20-year-old Sam Curran would be down on confidence after this shocking news. He could not have performed any better with both bat and ball, but still, it is highly unfortunate that he is all set to miss the third test.

Is it a fair decision, Joe Root?