Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKraigg Brathwaite was a study in concentration during his 12th Test fifty•Getty Images

Pakistan rebounded from being bowled out for 281 to reduce West Indies to 38 for 3, but had to work much harder for their subsequent breakthroughs as Kraigg Brathwaite led his side back into contention with a gritty, unbeaten 95. Supported first by Roston Chase and then by Shane Dowrich, Brathwaite helped West Indies close on 244 for 6 after two hard-fought sessions.Confronted with a probing bowling effort, a slow outfield and horrid start from his top-order team-mates, Brathwaite maintained his composure and patience throughout his 206-ball vigil. Unlike the more free-flowing batsmen at the other end, he seldom tried to force the pace, content to play the ball late whenever he could. Nine of his ten fours came behind the wicket, the sole exception being a loft over mid-on off Zulfiqar Babar.After the three early wickets, Jermaine Blackwood briefly looked promising after lunch. However, his attacking instincts, and his seeming refusal to rein them in, soon led to his downfall. Having driven Mohammad Amir on the up for a boundary through cover, Blackwood tried to repeat the shot a few balls later. Only, this time, the delivery was slightly shorter and not quite there for the drive; Blackwood edged it to gully and departed for a run-a-ball 23.Chase was the next to keep Brathwaite company. In a productive period leading to tea, Chase hit a number of lovely cover drives, moving to 43 off 82 by the interval. He did have a few awkward moments against spin, though, with legspinner Yasir Shah luring him into some injudicious shots against the turn.Chase kept taking the bait and creamed Yasir for a big six over long-on to reach his fifty shortly after tea. Like Blackwood, however, he perished after one indiscretion too many. With left-armer Amir angling the ball across him from over the wicket, Chase went for an extravagant drive and only managed a thick edge to Younis Khan in the slips. That brought to an end an 83-run fifth-wicket partnership, but West Indies were still vulnerable at 151 for 5.Next, it was Dowrich’s turn to complement Brathwaite’s marathon knock. Dowrich hit several attractive boundaries during his 90-ball 47, and was particularly strong square of the wicket on the off side. But he had two major strokes of luck early in his innings.The first, with Dowrich on 15, came via a recurring theme – a Wahab Riaz no-ball. The bowler had enticed the batsman into chasing a full, wide delivery and edging it to Asad Shafiq at gully. But he had overstepped – for the 15th time in the series – and Dowrich lived on. A few overs later, Dowrich attempted to sweep Azhar Ali, and the ball hit the back of bat before looping to Younis at slip, who put down the chance after an elaborate juggle.It was around this time that things seemed to be slipping away from Pakistan. Leg-side deliveries were helped on their way to the fine-leg boundary. Dowrich unfurled some cracking strokes. The odd mis-hit landed safely. Wahab received two warnings for following through in the danger area. As the partnership ticked along past 60, then 70, then 80, West Indies seemed to be regaining the upper hand.But, against the run of play, Dowrich dragged an innocuous ball from Wahab onto his stumps, ending an 83-run stand. West Indies closed out the day 37 short of Pakistan’s first-innings total, with four wickets in hand.That was a markedly better outcome than they might have expected after a tumultuous morning session in which five wickets fell for 64 runs. Alzarri Joseph took the last two Pakistan wickets to bowl them out for 281, just 7.5 overs into the day, before Pakistan struck back through early breakthroughs.Amir troubled Leon Johnson in the first over by swinging the ball away from the left-hander, before Wahab dismissed him for 1 with a straight ball that trapped him in front.Then, towards the end of the first session, Darren Bravo miscued a cross-batted swing off Babar in the air towards cover, where Amir took a screamer of a catch. Soon after, Yasir trapped Marlon Samuels plumb in front and the batsman departed, but not before wasting a review. By lunch, West Indies were sinking deep into a hole.It was Brathwaite’s resolute knock that helped them steadily work their way out of it by the time the day was over.

A round-up of the second day of Group A matches in the fourth round of the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2016Group ADeepak Hooda converted his third successive century into a mammoth 293 not out, his best score in first-class cricket, to flatten Punjab at Feroz Shah Kotla. The 21-year old Baroda captain’s maiden double-century included 25 fours and six sixes. He had resumed on 190 on the second day and batted through the rest of the innings to finish with a strike-rate of 82.76.Hooda could well have had his first triple-century – and the fourth of this season, there have only been four rounds – but Munaf Patel, having hung in for 57 minutes and 29 balls, contributing one run to the final-wicket stand of 31, fell on the last ball of the 140th over from Shubek Gill. Hooda’s 293 was the second-highest score in Baroda’s history.Baroda were dismissed for 529, with Sandeep Sharma taking 4 for 101. Punjab had 35 overs to last until stumps. They lost Jiwanjot Singh in the 10th over, but the other opener Manan Vohra ensured there were no further losses with an unbeaten 67.A first-innings lead of 100 became extremely handy for Bengal as 15 wickets fell on the second day in Dharamsala. Railways, who resumed their first innings on 37 for 4, were bowled out for 105 as seamer Ashok Dinda picked up 5 for 45 bowling 14 out of the 27.3 overs in the innings. It was his 19th five-for and second in as many matches. Seven of the Railways batsmen suffered single-digit scores and had it not been for their captain Karn Sharma’s 40 off 26 balls, they may not even have got a total above hundred.Bengal’s batsmen were a lot more sturdy with Wriddhiman Saha and captain Manoj Tiwary making 44 and 48 respectively to help build the lead to a considerable 308 by stumps. They only have one wicket standing though thanks to the Railways seamers Deepak Bansal and Karan Thakur, who picked up 3 for 40 and 3 for 39.N Jagadeesan became the first player from Tamil Nadu to score a century on debut in eight years as his team continued their run-scoring spree in Cuttack. He was unbeaten on 118 having faced 196 balls, with eight fours and two sixes. Madhya Pradesh had been flogged for 547 runs over the course of 174 overs with only seven wickets as compensation. This after they had dismissed both Tamil Nadu openers for ducks on the first day.The revival was led by Kaushik Gandhi, who having been on 71 overnight, completed his maiden first-class century. He finished with 157 off 368 balls with 24 fours. B Indrajith was one of only three wickets MP were able to take on the second day, but not before he had scored his third fifty-plus score in three innings.Proceedings were rather slow in the other match in Delhi, where Uttar Pradesh ground out 147 runs at a run-rate of 2.19 against Gujarat. One of the overnight batsmen Mohammad Saif scored 4 off 51 balls. The bulk of their runs came from the openers – Tanmay Srivastava made 45 off 148 balls while his partner Samarth Singh got to 50 off 101 balls to go with his 187 in his last innings. UP still trail by 200 runs. Gujarat’s batsmen deserve credit for that, not least their resilient 10th wicket pair. Chirag Gandhi (87) and Ishwar Chaudhary (13) got together when the score was 284 for 9 to took it to 347. UP fast bowler Imtiaz Ahmed picked up 5 for 73.

Heath Streak is considered a favourite to become head coach of Zimbabwe as ZC seek to fill the position before home Tests against Sri Lanka later this month

Firdose Moonda06-Oct-2016

Zimbabwe have conducted interviews to fill the position of head coach, left vacant by the sacking of Dav Whatmore in June. Heath Streak, Andy Blignaut and South Africans Peter Kirsten and Justin Summons were interviewed by five ZC board members on Wednesday. An appointment is expected to be made before the Sri Lanka Tests later this month and is likely to be a two-year contract with the mandate to ensure Zimbabwe qualifies for the 2019 World Cup.Of the candidates, Streak is considered the favourite while Summons is the dark horse. Based in Johannesburg, Summons worked with both Prosper Utseya and Brian Vitori to correct illegal bowling actions. Both bowlers have subsequently been cleared to play.Summons will have tough competition from Streak, who was Zimbabwe’s bowling coach under Alan Butcher between 2010 and 2013 and has had stints with Bangladesh and at the IPL since. Streak will likely be able to continue in his role with IPL team Gujarat Lions, which occupies him for only two months a year, even if he gets the Zimbabwe job.Blignaut does not have the same experience as Streak but does share local knowledge. He has been coaching at Peterhouse, one of Zimbabwe’s most prestigious sporting schools, and was being considered for a role with Zimbabwe’s under-19 side earlier this year.Kirsten is also currently involved at a school, Redhill in Johannesburg, while also working as a commentator on SABC Radio. His most recent coaching experiences are all in Africa; he was involved with Uganda, Kenya and Sierra Leone. Kirsten also coached Western Province in the past.Zimbabwe’s South African connection is strong. Their most recent acting head coach was Makhaya Ntini, who took over for ODIs against India and two Tests against New Zealand. With only one victory in eight games, Ntini, who does not have any coaching qualifications apart from the Level II that all former Test players automatically hold, came under pressure and Zimbabwe were forced to seek out another head coach. Ntini is still in Zimbabwe and players have been training under him and batting consultant Lance Klusener in the lead-up to matches against Pakistan A. Ntini and Klusener, who have signed contracts with ZC, are expected to be retained in the roles of bowling coach and batting consultant respectively.Zimbabwe are scheduled to play two Tests against Sri Lanka in Harare starting on October 29, after which they will play an ODI triangular series also involving West Indies.

Liverpool have "lots of work to do" with Darwin Nunez next season, according to Redmen TV presenter Ste Hoare.

The Uruguayan international joined Liverpool in the summer of 2022 for a club-record fee of £85m, but the Liverpool expert believes that the enigmatic forward isn't the best player available in any frontline position at the club.

Has Darwin Nunez had a good first season?

After arriving from Benfica, Nunez has had an interesting first season on Merseyside, with incredible highs balanced out with embarrassing lows.

The 23-year-old made 42 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions, and registered 15 goals and four assists, with his highlights being a brace in the Reds' historic 7-0 victory against arch-rivals Manchester United, as well as a fantastic opening goal in Liverpool's first-leg clash against LaLiga giants Real Madrid.

However, it hasn't been all positive for the former Almeria whiz, with moments such as his debut red card against Crystal Palace at Anfield, whilst a whopping 20 big chances missed in the Premier League gives further cause for concern.

The 6 foot 2 forward has found himself falling down the pecking order as well following the arrival of Cody Gakpo in January in tandem with the return from injury of both Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz, with the striker only starting three of the club's final 12 league games.

What has Ste Hoare said about Darwin Nunez and Liverpool?

Speaking on Nunez's situation at the club, the Redmen TV presenter told Football FanCast:

"There’s a question mark of how he fits into the team. Because he isn’t the best left option. And he isn’t the best forward option.

"Jota and Diaz are both better than him on the left, and at this moment in time, Gakpo and Jota are both better than him up front, so I think there is lots of work to be done on Darwin Nunez, to be honest with you."

What does the future hold for Darwin Nunez in Liverpool?

Liverpool won't give up on the £140k-per-week star just yet, with manager Jurgen Klopp stating before the Red's clash with Nottingham Forest in April that the situation is a "long-term project".

Whilst on the face of it, Nunez has had a mediocre campaign, his underlying numbers paint the picture of a player with all the potential to become one of the most feared attackers in European football.

His non-penalty expected goals + assists per 90 is 0.97, which according to FBref, is among the top 1% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues, showcasing that should Nunez become more clinical and decisive, he could be contributing almost a goal a game.

Liverpool supporters will be hoping that the Uruguayan has a similar trajectory as his time at Benfica, where after a disappointing first campaign, the Uruguayan attacker burst to life, having scored 34 goals in 41 games across all competitions.

Leeds United are in the hunt for a new manager and West Bromwich Albion boss Carlos Corberan will be a 'serious contender' for the vacancy at Elland Road, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest manager news involving Leeds United?

According to The Athletic, Corberan is among the candidates for the manager position at Leeds United as they look to find the right man to lead them in the Sky Bet Championship next term.

The Daily Mail report that Leeds United have made 'early soundings' about the possibility of hiring the 40-year-old, who has a £2 million release clause written into is contract at West Brom.

Corberan has previously spent time at Leeds United in an assistant manager capacity and Whites' chiefs were keen to speak to him back in March following their decision to sack Jesse Marsch; however, West Brom stepped in to offer him an improved contract to fend off interest in his services.

As per Football Insider, West Brom are said to be 'braced for an approach' from Leeds United regarding Corberan, who is tied to his current employers until 2027 contractually.

BBC journalist Adam Pope has endorsed the possibility of Leeds United hiring Corberan on the Don’t Go To Bed Just Yet podcast, stating: “Financially, they’re in trouble [West Brom], we know that. So he needs another challenge. I think it makes a lot of sense Carlos Corberan coming in, whereas a couple of years ago people might think, ‘is he ready for that?’. He’s more than proved that I think.”

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Jones has indicated that he expects Corberan to be in and around the favourites to take over at Elland Road.

Jones said: “​​Corberan is the one I've heard the most about for this job. I don't know if he's the favourite for the job, but of the names talked about, they definitely like him.

“They've considered him before and kept a close eye on his management style and how he deals with players. I think he'll be a serious contender.”

Would Carlos Corberan be a good appointment for Leeds United?

Given his previous relations with Leeds United and preference to play on the front foot, Corberan is someone who would be an exciting appointment in Yorkshire that would give the Whites some hope that they could challenge for the Sky Bet Championship next term.

Corberan, who was hailed as a "crazy" and is "absolutely obsessed" in a passage from the Athletic, has the ability to mix it up tactically, flickering between slow build-up play, fast transitions and a more direct approach reliant on crosses into the box to strategically outwit the opposition dependent on their style of play, as per Breaking The Lines.

In his time at West Brom, the Spaniard has accumulated 52 points in the English second-tier, presiding over 16 wins, four draws and ten losses in 30 matches in charge, giving him an average points-per-game ratio of 1.73, as per Transfermarkt.

At Huddersfield Town, Corberan also led the Terriers to the Sky Bet Championship play-off final back in 2021/22, narrowly losing out to Nottingham Forest at Wembley Stadium.

Leeds United will need someone who knows what it takes to regularly claim results in what is a notoriously difficult division to get out of and Corberan is someone with a knack of doing that while playing an attractive brand of football.

Allrounder Kieron Pollard said he had been told he was not committed enough in this batting during West Indies’ 0-3 defeats in the ODIs and T20Is against Pakistan in the UAE

Colin Benjamin25-Oct-20161:13

Angry Pollard hits out at WICB

Allrounder Kieron Pollard has challenged the West Indies selectors’ rationale for dropping him for the tri-series in Zimbabwe in November. Pollard said he was told that he had not been “committed to batting” during the recent limited-overs games against Pakistan in UAE.Calling the decision “funny”, Pollard said he would not “campaign or do anything to convince them” to select him and instead focus on looking after himself in the future.What confused Pollard about his axing for the Zimbabwe tri-series was that, according to him, the West Indies chairman of selectors Courtney Browne had agreed during a conversation in the UAE that his experience would be good in a young squad.”When chairman of selectors Courtney Browne notified me via email of my axing, I reminded him of why my exclusion was funny because during the Twenty20 and one-day series, the two of us had a long conversation, speaking about wanting to have guys such as myself around going forward in West Indies cricket,” Pollard told ESPNcricinfo.Pollard said he sought clarification from Browne on why he had been dropped. “He said I wasn’t ‘committed to batting’ during the tour, which I pressed him to clarify further because it was a broad statement. I asked specifically if this commitment he interpreted I wasn’t giving also related to my bowling, fielding and advice to captain Jason Holder. And he said no, and stressed it was just batting and, in his view, I was not trying.”Pollard was angry his commitment had been questioned. “A lot people tend to say Pollard and many of us are mercenaries and have given nothing to West Indies cricket. While it’s clear I don’t have the stats or the figures of a Brian Lara, nobody, as some were trying to suggest, can ever question my commitment or integrity while playing. Why would I wake up one morning and just decide I wouldn’t want to try? Scoring runs is how I survive.”Browne said he stood by the decision to drop Pollard. “Kieron’s performance in the ODI series was far below what one expects from a player of his experience and his effort level was not what is expected from West Indies cricketers,” Browne told ESPNcricinfo. “Kieron is therefore urged to compete in our domestic competitions, where he will have an additional opportunity to demonstrate his ability and can be considered again for selection.”Before the tour of the UAE, Pollard had made 22 and 13 in the Florida T20Is against India in August, and prior to that he made 205 runs with two half-centuries in the home tri-series against Australia and South Africa in June. Pollard had been on the sidelines in ODIs for a year and a half from October 2014, before he returned for the tri-series in which West Indies finished runners-up.Kieron Pollard made 43 runs in three T20Is and 42 runs in three ODIs against Pakistan in the UAE•Getty ImagesIn the UAE, Pollard scored 43 runs and bowled only two overs in the three T20Is against Pakistan in September. In the three ODIs that followed, Pollard made 42 runs and took one wicket in 12 overs. West Indies lost both series 0-3 to Pakistan. During the tour, former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis, who was working as a commentator, had also said Pollard should be dropped for lack of effort.Defending his performances, Pollard said that had he batted aggressively and failed, he may have been labelled as irresponsible. “I referred to him [Browne] in detail the match scenarios of each of my innings on tour and stated that if I had played a typical Pollard aggressive innings, in situations where the team was always in trouble – they would have claimed ‘irresponsible batting from a senior player.'”Pollard said the West Indies team was not in the right mind-set during the UAE tour because the coach Phil Simmons had been sacked by the WICB the day the squad left the Caribbean. Poor communication between players and coaching staff, lack of clear inputs in team meetings from the coaches, and “very ridiculous” training schedules, were problems Pollard highlighted.”One minute the team’s media manager, or even oddly the physio, was answering various questions,” he said. “And when pressed they said their instructions came from the ‘top’, which is a line I’ve never heard when Simmons or any other West Indies coach I played [under] used.”Pollard said he had been “prepared mentally” to be “targeted” by the WICB after West Indies pulled out of the India tour in October 2014 because of an issue with player contracts. “It’s an attack on senior players. Look at the team right now. Only Marlon Samuels is a senior guy around in most formats, other are ineligible outside of T20s because of their selection policy which inadvertently targets us. You could say our axing is the final puzzle of removing the seniors and they have come up with any reason that suits them to get certain individuals out of the set-up.” Samuels had not been in favour of West Indies not completing the tour of India.What now then for Pollard? Will he play domestic cricket in West Indies , like Browne had recommended? “I’m 29 years old, but the way people talk of me being a senior player or veteran you would swear my age is 39. Realistically now I just have to look after Kieron Pollard. So I’m not going to campaign or do anything to try and convince them to pick me again.”

Moeen Ali added another reprieve to his list of escapes with the bat in the Chittagong Test

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2016

Moeen Ali has had his fair share of fortune in the first Test in Chittagong. His opening-day 68 involved five DRS interventions – three in a period of six balls when he was given out by Kumar Dharmasena either side of lunch – but in the second innings a reprieve came from a different route.Facing Shakib Al Hasan, on 6, he flicked the ball off his hip straight a short leg who, at first glance from a front-on angle, had appeared to grasp the catch close to his chest. However, Moeen was well aware of the Laws and had noticed that the ball had made contact with the grille of Mominul Haque’s helmet before settling in his hands.Mominul, himself, also appeared to know the outcome as he barely celebrated the catch amid the initial excitement from the bowler. After a quick check with the third umpire, it was confirmed as not out.This is the Law (32.3) in question: “The act of making the catch shall start from the time when the ball in flight comes into contact with some part of a fielder’s person other than a protective helmet, and shall end when a fielder obtains complete control both over the ball and over his own movement… it is not a fair catch if the ball has previously touched a protective helmet worn by a fielder. The ball will then remain in play.”In the dressing room, Jonny Bairstow may have had a wry smile. He has twice fallen foul of being caught off a fielder’s helmet. It first happened in Mumbai, during the 2012 series, when he prodded a catch to silly point which was held by Gautam Gambhir. Initially all looked normal with the dismissal, but the wicket also brought lunch and as replays continued to be scanned it became clear Gambhir’s helmet had been involved. There were attempts by England to have the decision overturned but Bairstow was not reprieved.Three years later, during the 2015 Ashes, it happened to Bairstow again. In the second innings at The Oval he inside-edged Nathan Lyon to short leg where, with a juggle, Adam Voges held the catch. Again, he walked off without much fuss only for subsequent replays to show it had come off Voges’ helmet.More recently, during the India-New Zealand Test series in Kanpur, there was another example when Tom Latham was given a life when he swept Ravi Jadeja off his boot to KL Rahul at short leg but the ball struck the chin-strap of the helmet before the catch was completed. The umpires had already sent the catch to the third umpire, to check for a bump ball, so the deflection was picked up and Latham survived.

أعرب جالينو لاعب بورتو البرتغالي، عن سعادته بقيادة فريقه للفوز على آرسنال في منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا مساء الأربعاء.

وسجل جالينو هدف فوز بورتو بشباك آرسنال، في الدقيقة الرابعة من الوقت المحتسب بدلاً من الضائع، بذهاب دور الـ 16 لدوري الأبطال، على ملعب “الدراجاو”. 

جالينو، مهاجم بورتو، تحدث إلى “DAZN” وقال: “أعتقد أن الفضل في هذا الهدف يعود إلى الفريق بأكمله، لما فعلوه في 90 دقيقة”.

اقرأ أيضًا | ديكلان رايس عن فوز بورتو القاتل: منحناهم هدايا ولن نتنازل عن مباراة الإياب

وأضاف جالينو: “لقد لعبنا بشكل جيد، ودافعنا جيدًا، وتركنا كل طاقتنا على أرض الملعب، عندما سنحت الفرصة، لم أتردد”.

وأتم: “أنا سعيد للغاية، سنحاول تكرار ما حققناه هنا في لندن، سنحاول أن نبقى صامدين ونقدم أفضل ما لدينا، كما نفعل دائمًا”.

Everton are in desperate need of attacking reinforcements this summer to avoid another Premier League relegation scrap and now an update has emerged on a potential new transfer target.

What's the latest on Everton's interest in Brennan Johnson?

According to The Daily Mail, Everton are one of the Premier League clubs keen to sign Nottingham Forest ace Brennan Johnson this summer.

As per the report, the Toffees are competing with West Ham United to secure the young winger's services ahead of next season and it is claimed that the Tricky Trees value Johnson at no less than £40m.

Will Brennan Johnson sign for Everton this summer?

There is no doubt that Sean Dyche will be keen to bolster his forward line after a real struggle to compete and retain their top-flight status this season, with an Abdoulaye Doucuoure goal in the last 33 minutes of the season saving the club from the drop.

Everton has seen their attacking threat significantly weakened over the last 12 months with Richarlison departing last summer and Anthony Gordon making a shock exit in the January transfer window, whilst Dominic Calvert-Lewin has continued to struggle with injury issues throughout the campaign.

As a result, no other club in the entire Premier League scored fewer goals this season (34) over 38 fixtures clearly demonstrating how uninspiring and unreliable Dyche's attacking options have been, so the signing of Johnson could be the perfect chance to improve goal contributions and even secure an upgrade on Gordon.

Over 38 league appearances, the 22-year-old talent – hailed a "great finisher" by Steve Cooper – scored eight times, registered three assists and created four big chances, as well as averaging 1.4 shots on goal per game, proving that he could be a great attacking asset to Everton next season.

Not only that, when you compare Johnson's output to his positional peer Gordon over this season for their respective clubs, the Welsh winger has comfortably outperformed the Newcastle United ace in many attacking attributes.

That includes goal-creating actions per 90 (0.34 v 0.06), progressive carries (88 v 48), goals per shots on target (0.13 v 0.12) and goal contributions in total (11 v 4).

Considering Nottingham Forest were one of Everton's closest competitors in the relegation fight this season, it would be interesting to see whether the Trentside club would be willing to sell their homegrown prodigy to a rival that could strengthen with the services of Johnson next season.

Having said that, it would be a no-brainer for Dyche to secure a deal for Johnson should the opportunity arise, as he is not only showing huge potential as a threat in front of goal but has the Premier League experience needed to make an instant impact at Goodison Park next season.

India are missing three major batsmen – openers KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan, and Rohit Sharma – because of injures for the first two Tests against England. Allrounder Hardik Pandya has been included in the Test squad for the first time in his career.Fast bowler Ishant Sharma returned to the 15-man squad after missing the Test series against New Zealand because of an illness. Bhuvneshwar Kumar had recovered from the hamstring injury he suffered during the second Test against New Zealand but was not picked because he had not played a first-class game since.Rohit sustained an injury to his upper thigh during the ODI series against New Zealand, and is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks, and might need surgery too. That put him out of the series. There was no like-for-like replacement for Rohit, which could mean a debut for Karun Nair or Pandya in Rajkot unless India play five specialist bowlers.Gautam Gambhir, who scored a second-innings fifty in his comeback Test against New Zealand in Indore, was set to continue as the opener for the first Test at least. He had returned to the Test squad because of the injuries to Rahul and Dhawan. Rahul missed the last two Tests and the ODIs against New Zealand because of a hamstring injury, and Dhawan was ruled out for the third Test and the limited-overs contests because of a thumb injury.Fast bowler Shardul Thakur was dropped from the squad after coming in as a replacement during the Tests against New Zealand. That he would concede his place once Ishant regained fitness was expected.

India’s injured

• Rohit Sharma – injured thigh during fifth ODI against NZ. Out for six to eight weeks

• KL Rahul – injured hamstring during first Test against NZ. Missed the remaining two Tests and ODIs.

• Shikhar Dhawan – dropped for the first Test against NZ, fractured thumb during second Test, missed the third and the ODI series.

• Bhuvneshwar Kumar – recovered from hamstring injury suffered during the second Test against NZ, but not selected because he has not played first-class cricket since

What was not expected was the selection of Baroda’s Pandya, who has played just 16 first-class matches and taken 22 wickets at an average of 33. He has already played four ODIs and 16 T20 internationals. He featured in the 2016 World T20, and was the Man of the Match on his ODI debut.MSK Prasad, the chairman of selectors, saw Pandya bowl on India A’s tour of Australia, a tour that first paved his way into the ODI side and now into the Test squad.”Pandya’s pace has increased, he is moving the ball, his batsmanship has improved,” Prasad said. “And he has mellowed down as a person. He is one allrounder we thought is an equally competent bowler and batsman. And a good fielder too.”Rahul Dravid has worked hard on the mental side of his game. Now Anil Kumble is guiding him. We have three allrounders – Stuart Binny, Hardik Pandya, Rishi Dhawan. In this particular series, he scores ahead of Binny. Much quicker and better bowler than Stuart. With form and fitness, Hardik is a better option.”India are presently the No. 1 ranked team in Tests, following their 3-0 victory against New Zealand. The first Test against England is in Rajkot from November 9, and the second in Visakhapatnam from November 17.Squad Virat Kohli (capt.), R Ashwin, Gautam Gambhir, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Mohammad Shami, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, Karun Nair, M Vijay, Umesh Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav