In the spin department, while seasoned campaigner Deepti Sharma is an automatic choice, it remains to be seen whether India go with both Radha Yadav and Sneh Rana or opt for either one of them.
This brings us to the question of combination and perhaps Arshdeep could miss out on more games going into the T20 World Cup -- a tournament that will be held in the sub-continent -- India and Sri Lanka.
Although Shubman Gill's return to the T20 side has cast a shadow over Sanju Samson's place in the playing XI for the Asia Cup in the UAE, the hard-hitting wicketkeeper-batter will be counting on head coach Gautam Gambhir, who has often spoken highly of his positive attitude.
The report also indicated that Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are unlikely to get a call-up to the T20I squad as the team management might not upset the team's core combination.
Shubman Gill had fired a verbal salvo at Zak Crawley during the Lord's Test after he and his opening partner Ben Duckett arrived 90 seconds late to the crease.
Kuldeep for Shardul could be the only change at Edgbaston as India eye parity
India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant are expected to play in the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford starting from July 23.
From Jasprit Bumrah's much-anticipated return to the all-rounder conundrum, the playing XI could very well hold the key to seizing control of this historic series.
Sai Sudharsan made his Test debut in the series opener against England, where he played at No. 3 while skipper Shubman Gill batted at No. 4.
'A couple of weeks ago, did he think he was a chance (to play in Perth)? Potentially not, he was a little bit sore. Then you flip it forward two weeks and there's a lot more positivity. We've still got a little bit to go.'
Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yada soaked up London's charm as they strolled through parks and enjoyed coffee at cozy cafes.
For their next assignment in the ICC World Test Championship cycle, the two-time WTC runners up will aim to grab maximum points across those four home clashes. Here are five key questions the side must answer prior to their next Test match-up.
As England and India gear up for the final showdown in the five-match series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval, former England speedster Stuart Broad feels the hosts should make some changes to their Playing XI and rest tearaway Jofra Archer.
Engineer surprised by Kuldeep's omission from 1st Test, says he should be playing all matches
India have a mounting worry in the lack of runs so far from talismanic Smriti Mandhana, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and the energetic Jemimah Rodrigues.
The 24-year-old Jurel stepped in as keeper twice during the series - once after Pant took a blow to his finger in the third Test at Lord's, and again in the Manchester Test when Pant sustained a foot injury that ruled him out.
Teenager Eddie Jack's call-up comes at a time when England's pace stocks are depleted with less than 10 days to go for the opening Test.
Shami last played for India in the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad after which he was sidelined because of an ankle injury which needed surgery.
Sarfaraz was dropped from the 18-man squad fo the five-match Test tour of England.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav said that Powerplay overs will be crucial in the five-match T20 International series against Australia.
Shivam Dube remains a vital cog in India's T20 set-up and bowling coach Morne Morkel wants the Mumbai all-rounder to step up as a back-up medium pacer ahead of the T20 World Cup, in line with head coach Gautam Gambhir's philosophy of packing the XI with multi-skilled cricketers.
Who do you think should be part of the Indian team for the fifth Test against England?
'Bumrah bowled brilliantly in both the ODI and T20 World Cups. Siraj is also in the same league. To protect him from injuries'
His consistency comes at a crucial time, with stiff competition for a spot in India's Asia Cup XI following Shubman Gill's return as vice-captain, and the inclusion of wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma after a stellar IPL season for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Jasprit Bumrah was rested from the second Test at Edgbaston, as part of his workload management.
Karun Nair has managed only 131 runs across six innings at a below-par average of 21.83, in the first three Tests against England.
Going into the penultimate game of the rubber, the pressing question is whether to tweak their conservative approach and bolster the spin department by playing left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav at the cost of a spin all-rounder.
England wicketkeeper Jordan Cox has been ruled out of the three-Test series against New Zealand after fracturing his thumb in a net session during a tour match in Queenstown.
India is facing form concerns and selection dilemmas as they enter the final phase of their Champions Trophy preparations.
Photos from Day 1 of the warm-up game between India 'A' and England XI at the Brabourne stadium.
Karun Nair has got starts in majority of his six innings in England but he has not been able to convert them into something substantial.
India should seriously consider playing Kuldeep but it will be selection dilemma: Harmison
The beleaguered tourists lined up without their ace bowler in the second contest, Panesar believes India would need to figure out a way to scythe 20 scalps to stand triumphant for the first time in Birmingham.
Nitish and Shardul were thrown into the playing XI for India A during both unofficial Tests against England Lions, and both all-rounders reaped mixed results across the two contests.
Former England captain Michael Atherton suggested India could include three spinners for the must-win fourth Test against England at Manchester, starting on July 23.
Karun Nair opened up about the relentless effort he put in the last few years to make a comeback to the Indian Test team for the recently-concluded tour of England.
England captain Jos Buttler is confident that the upcoming T20I series against India will not impact their preparation for the Champions Trophy.
Pat Cummins captured the sentiment perfectly, calling this potentially the 'last chance' for fans Down Under to witness these legends in action. With both stalwarts set to be 39 and 40 respectively by the 2027 World Cup, every appearance carries added significance. Ro-Ko have been the heartbeat of Indian cricket for over 15 years. Their return brings an emotional lift to the team and raises expectations for the series against the world champions.
'We obviously want to wheel him in, but we also want to respect where his body's at, and on the basis of that, we just felt that it wasn't worth including him in the squad.'
Spin great Anil Kumble praised Nitish Kumar Reddy's showing with the ball on Day 1 of the Lord's Test on Thursday.
