While India was in a better position to win the first Test before the heavens opened up on the final day, the first innings score of 278 was below par as none among Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane hit many runs.

As far as the team combination is concerned, Shardul Thakur’s hamstring injury tilts the lower-order batting balance although the Mumbai player didn’t trouble the scorers in the only innings he played. Ashwin, who was dropped from the playing eleven in the drawn opening game in Nottingham because of Ravindra Jadeja’s superior skills with the willow, is back in the mix.

With Thakur all but ruled out for the match, Kohli might have to revisit his 4-1 bowling combination. “For us, it is about finding the perfect balance. But if someone like Shardul is not available, we need to think about how to pick up 20 wickets and not try to plug in another guy, who can give us some runs with the bat. I think that we are very comfortable with how the first Test went,” said Kohli.

In case the Lord’s pitch is on the drier side, there could possibly be no harm in playing both Ashwin and Jadeja, who can trouble the brittle England batting line-up. The quality of England’s new Test generation was exposed in the first match.

Skipper Joe Root had to come to his team’s rescue with a fifty in the first innings and possibly a match-saving Test hundred in the second essay. Rory Burns could be replaced by Haseeb Hameed, who scored a hundred while opening the innings for the Combined Counties against the Indians in the tour game last month.

England will sorely miss its senior fast bowler Stuart Broad, who has been ruled out of the series after sustaining a tear to his right calf. The host may also miss the services of James Anderson, who is struggling with a tight quad, for the second match.

So, England has added seam bowler Saqib Mahmood to the squad as cover, with the ECB informing that spinner Dom Bess will be leaving the team.