India captain Virat Kohli is under pressure to make some major changes to the playing XI after the crushing innings defeat in the third Test against England at Leeds.
The Indians were bowled out for just 78 on the opening day of the Headingley Test and watched on helplessly as Joe Root smashed his third century of the series to take England to 432, which was enough for victory by an innings and 76 runs. And that came after the visitors had entered the match with a 1-0 series lead.
Apart from the abject surrender from their batsmen during significant passages in both innings, the bowling attack too has come under the radar.
Kohli has still not picked premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin three matches in. The fact he is a proper lower order batsman also makes the case for his selection stronger.
Moreover, the knee troubles of all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, plus the indifferent form of veteran seamer Ishant Sharma, make Ashwin almost certain to play the fourth Test which begins at The Oval on Thursday.
Batting will understandably be the bigger concern. Kohli has not scored a century for almost two years but is getting starts. Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara have shown enough resilience over the past two Tests to warrant selection. That leaves wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant who has not been up to par with the bat. But dropping him would mean giving the gloves to non-specialist KL Rahul.
Keeping all that in mind, the Indian team trained for the fourth Test in London on Tuesday. Images from their training can be seen in the picture gallery above.
