England expect James Anderson to be ready for the third Test against India at Mohali later this month, provided he successfully comes through a final fitness test today.
The Lancashire paceman has been bowling in the nets for the past 10 days as he steps up his recovery from a shoulder injury that has kept him out since the final Test of the summer against Pakistan at the Kia Oval in August.
The leader of England’s attack will have to come through one more session at Loughborough today before England clear him for the India series.
Provided there are no complications, the ECB will announce tomorrow that the 34-year-old will fly out to join the squad ahead of the Second Test in Visakhapatnam, starting on November 17.
While that match is expected to come too soon for Anderson following a three-month lay-off, England are hopeful he will be ready for the Third Test at Mohali the following week.
Anderson, England’s leading all-time bowler in Tests with 463 wickets, was not named in the original 16-man squad to tour India.
But his return to fitness will be a significant boost for Alastair Cook’s team ahead of the start of the five-Test series in Rajkot on Wednesday.
England will go into that first match as clear underdogs after their humiliating 108-run defeat by Bangladesh in Dhaka last Sunday — a result that saw them draw the two-Test series.
Captain Cook admitted that his side could be scarred by the experience of being bowled out inside a session by Bangladesh’s spinners.
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Yet Joe Root, England’s vice-captain, said today: “I wouldn’t say we’re scarred. We’re respectful of some decent bowling in spin-friendly conditions and we’re not naive enough to think we won’t come up against similar conditions here.
“But I think it’s very important we take the confidence from the good stuff we did in Bangladesh and try and build on that.”
