Keaton Jennings to replace Haseeb Hameed in England squad

In case the opener is fit for the Test, Parthiv is likely to bat in the middle-order and Karun Nair is expected to face the axe after debuting in Mohali. Dawson himself acknowledges that he was more than a little surprised by the decision but is keen to make the chance count if given a chance to play in the remaining two matches in the series.

“The way he played with [James] Anderson in the end showed great maturity, to play with tail like that”.

“That was a great experience, but this is going to be very different”, he added. While you would hardly expect him to roar “Make me captain!”, the impression he gives is of a man happily developing his own role without the unnecessary burden of leadership.

Cape Town – South African-born Keaton Jennings is excited by his call-up to join England for the remainder of their tour of India.

“He has got a broken hand, needs a plate within to fix it”. The hosts now lead the five-match series 2-0 but Root is optimistic that England can turn around their fortunes in the next match if they can tackle India’s spin attack.

“To play like that, that was a very special knock”. He’s out for the whole tour. Having lost Hameed to injury, England are left with Ben Duckett in their ranks, who has been in a poor form. Still the vibrations were there when he hit it.

“You practise very hard and work on your game behind the scenes but, when you get out there, it’s about trusting your instincts and letting your body take over”.

He is due to join the England squad in Mumbai on December 5 when they begin preparations for the fourth Test which starts at Wankhede Stadium three days later.

About the team flying off to Dubai, Cook said that they needed a break. Ansari is struggling with back spasms he sustained in the second Test defeat in Visakhapatnam. “To be honest I wouldn’t know what day it is at the moment, everything has been such a whirlwind”. “I think he’s come a long way in the last 12 months or so and I’m sure he’ll keep improving in that area”. Among them is Stuart Broad, who is taking time out of the trip to work with the medical team supporting the Lions side in Dubai as he tries to deal with the strained foot tendon that saw him miss the Mohali defeat.

Flower has preferred to work away from the spotlight since his illustrious reign came to a crashing halt with the Ashes thrashing in 2014-15 but now he is in charge of the Lions he is again a key figure in making sure England get it right.