James Vince
Image Courtesy: Getty

England’s middle-order batsman, James Vince might be back on the radar for national selection, as the English selectors sit down to pick the side for the 4the Test against India. If Jonny Bairstow fails to recover in time, Vince might well get a look in yet again.

James Vince eyes Test return

England will name the squad on Thursday and Vince was initially included as a cover. However, he might well get one more attempt to revive his Test career, as Jonny Bairstow fractured his finger in the Trent Bridge game.

Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow could miss the fourth Test against India due to a fractured finger. Image Courtesy: Getty

It was after Vince averaged just 24 from 13 Tests, he got dropped from the squad by Ed Smith, the national selector. Smith blamed his failure to convert his starts into a big one, as the reason behind his ouster from the squad. He said Vince hadn’t produced the number of runs which he should have.

If James Vince comes in he will occupy the 4th spot and Ollie Pope will go down to five. It would be easier for the youngster to cope with the needs of Test cricket. He has not scored enough runs in his first three innings but has looked impressive.

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Moeen Ali is another possible replacement for Bairstow. He gives both bowling and batting option. He bagged 19 wickets against India in 2014. Moreover, Adil Rashid has been pretty ordinary which might pave the way for Moeen. However, Joe Root might well be reluctant to pick one more left-hander in the side.

Keaton Jennings will get a chance in the remaining two matches to prove himself. However, the place of Alastair Cook in the side looks in for real debate. For someone like Cook who has been an all-time great for England, it is indeed an unfortunate situation.

James Vince, Jonny Bairstow
Because of an injury to Jonny Bairstow, James Vince could himself on the squad for the fourth Test against India. Image Courtesy: Getty

James Vince realistic about playing for England again

“I think we have to be realistic about the surfaces we’ve been playing on. Throughout the whole summer, they’ve been very much tailored around seam bowling, and we’ve had some very bowler-friendly conditions – a lot of cloud cover, seamed around quite a lot and it’s obviously swung as well. The hardest point to bat is opening up. He’s a world-class performer; he’s proven that time and time again, and actually, I’d like you to write him off because every time he’s written off, he comes back and scores a double hundred,” said Root.

“You never really know what someone is thinking if you’re brutally honest about things but you watch him apply himself in training and go about his practice on the morning of every game, the way he speaks on the field, the way he speaks to the batters around the group and offers his experience it doesn’t look like someone who is thinking about jacking it in. He seems very much dedicated to helping this team and scoring as many runs as he can.”

Changes in the Batting Order

England was pretty ordinary with the bat, especially in the 1st innings. They never managed to recover after being skittled out for just 161 runs in 39 overs. It was merely two horrendous sessions for England which cost them the match.

“It is very early days in terms of a small fracture at the top of his finger. We’ll have to see how that settles down over time,” said Root. “We have a bit of time until that next game so we can assess that later down the line. He’s obviously a world-class batter in good form and would warrant his place within the side as a batter. In terms of keeping, we are very fortunate to have Jos in the team already, and it would make things very easy in terms of him stepping into that role.”

“I don’t feel as though I’m Bambi on ice or anything,” he said. “If you are realistic about things – which I try to be – I don’t think I’m far away from making big scores.”

Moeen Ali, England vs India 2018
Moeen Ali. Credits: Steve Paston/PA

“You can nit-pick around other areas within the game, but ultimately that first inning for us were very poor,” said Root. “We sat down and spoke quite honestly about how we’re going to get this right. It’s happened on a couple of occasions, (and) it’s obviously not good enough. In this format, and for the group of players we’ve got, it’s well below par what we’re capable of doing – even if it is bowler-friendly conditions.”

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