NEWS
Follow UsFast bowler Mohammed Shami, who missed India's 157-run victory over England at The Oval, is believed to have recovered from his niggles and is available for the fifth and final Test, starting September 10 in Manchester.
The medical team are however monitoring Rohit Sharma (Knee injury) and Chetshwar Pujara (ankle injury) and a call on their inclusion in the XI will be taken by the medical team. "Shami is fit. And when Shami is fit, he is an automatic choice," a senior BCCI official told PTI.
If Shami is fit, it will be interesting to see who he replaces. India have the option of resting Jasprit Bumrah, who has sent down 151 overs this series or he could also come into the side in place of either Umesh Yadav or Mohammed Siraj.
Along with Shami, we could also see the inclusion of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for the first time in the XI. According to many experts, Manchester is one of the venues, which despite it's pacer-friendly nature could provide some assistance for a second spinner.
As far as replacing Rohit is concerned, the team management has Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal to pick from. They also have the likes of Hanuma Vihari and Suryakumar Yadav waiting in the wings if Pujara was deemed unfit.
(With inputs from PTI)