Four selection puzzles for India at Edgbaston

Should Pujara bat at No. 3?
When India’s selectors dropped him, alongside Ajinkya Rahane, for the home series against Sri Lanka earlier this year, Pujara had endured a long run of poor form. In 20 Tests since the start of 2020, he had averaged just 26.29. India’s selectors seemed to be on the lookout for new candidates for the middle-order engine room alongside Virat Kohli.Steadfast as ever, though, Pujara forced himself back into the squad for Edgbaston with a mountain of runs in a short stint with Sussex in Division Two of the County Championship. In Leicester, though, he made a duck at No. 3 in Leicestershire’s first innings, then walked out for the Indians the next day, in the lower order, and scored 22. After those displays, the question hasn’t gone away: should India play Pujara at No. 3?Hanuma Vihari is India’s incumbent No. 3. Has he done enough to ward off his rivals for that slot?•BCCIHanuma Vihari is the other contender, having performed the No. 3 role in the two-Test series against Sri Lanka in March, scoring a solitary fifty in three innings. Vihari came in at one-down for the Indians twice in Leicester and then turned up at No. 4 for the hosts in the final innings of the drawn match with returns of 3, 20 and 23, spending time at the crease without looking dominant. The selectors and the team management want Vihari to gain more experience to build his confidence. Pujara, meanwhile, has experience and runs in England, and was India’s third-highest run-getter in the first four Tests last year, including vital second-innings knocks in India’s wins at Lord’s and The Oval.It is an interesting riddle. There is a chance, of course, that both could play in the middle order, if India leave out Shreyas Iyer, who is the incumbent No. 5, but that might be unlikely given that he comes into the tour with three fifties and a hundred in his first four Tests, even though he’s not been tested outside India yet.

Does Ashwin find a place?
R Ashwin sat out all four Tests in England last summer as the team management, then led by Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri along with bowling coach Bharat Arun, preferred to play Ravindra Jadeja as the lone spin-bowling allrounder. India played a four-pronged fast-bowling attack that usually included Shardul Thakur as the second allrounder in the aftermath of their defeat in the World Test Championship final against New Zealand in Southampton, where they had fielded both Ashwin and Jadeja.Ashwin joined the Indian squad over the weekend, after his departure got delayed due to his testing positive for Covid-19. In Leicester, Ashwin turned out to bowl in the final innings of the match, picking up two wickets including that of Gill to prove his match-fitness.Mohammed Siraj is the frontrunner for the role of third seamer•PA Images via Getty ImagesWhile the pitches in England last summer were generally green and seam-friendly, they have been flatter and more conducive to big totals this year, during England’s just-concluded three-Test series against New Zealand. The batch of Dukes balls used this year has also seemingly offered the fast bowlers less sideways movement. This has meant that spinners have played a bigger role this season, with Jack Leach picking up a 10-wicket match haul in the third Test in Leeds.Conditions at Edgbaston might determine if Ashwin gets a chance. If they are similar to those that prevailed during the New Zealand series, there’s a chance that India may go back to playing both their spinners. If they are similar to last year, however, they may stick to the four-seamer formula, in which case Jadeja’s batting skills might edge out Ashwin again.

Who should be the third frontline seamer?
The new-ball pair of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami showed in Leicester that they are primed for the England challenge, delivering intense spells of fast bowling. The only possible question concerning the fast-bowling combination could be who plays the role of the third seamer. Last year, Mohammed Siraj unleashed furious spells, particularly while picking up eight wickets at Lord’s. With 14 wickets in four Tests, Siraj was only four behind Bumrah among India’s bowlers overall.At the Oval, Umesh Yadav came into the side to play only his second Test on his third tour of England, bowled untiring spells, and rattled England’s batters including Joe Root to pick a match haul of six wickets and keep himself in contention for the final Test in Manchester, which was eventually cancelled. Siraj and Umesh have played three Tests each since the Oval Test. Both will be hungry once again to stake their claim.