IND vs ENG: England Dealt Huge Blow Ahead of Day 4 as Shoaib Bashir's Finger Injury Leaves Hosts Sweating

When England spinner Shoaib Bashir picked up an injury on his little finger on Day 3 of the third India vs England Test, it left him unable to bowl for the rest of the innings and forced Joe Root to roll his arm over a lot more than he would have anticipated. 

And the news coming out of the England camp on the penultimate day of the Test match isn't great, as they could well be forced to make a change come the fourth Test at Old Trafford. 

England will start Day 4 as the batting side but they could likely be without Bashir in the batting line-up. 

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Bashir to Bowl, But Batting Uncertain

The England and Wales Cricket Board put out a statement confirming Bashir's ability to bowl in the game, but left his status as a batter up in the air. 

"Following his left little finger injury, Shoaib Bashir continues to be monitored and is expected to bowl in the fourth innings of this Test. A decision on whether he will bat in the third innings will be made in due course. His involvement in the fourth Test at Emirates Old Trafford will be assessed at the end of the match," said the statement.

Should Bashir's injury be worse than feared, it may well force England to take a look at their other spin options for the fourth Test at Manchester. 

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What Are England's Spin Options?

The three major options that England currently have at their disposal are Liam Dawson, Jack Leach and Rehan Ahmed. 

Dawson would be an interesting punt, as he would add some more batting depth to the line-up as well as provide a useful left-arm orthodox spin option too. 

Leach is a proven entity but one the English team would only go back to on an emergency basis given they have worked hard to move past him in recent times. 

Rehan Ahmed is a wildcard option - he provides a wrist-spin option while also being a handy bat, but was easily targeted by India's batters during last year's tour to India. 

Either way, Bashir's absence would be felt - he has taken 9 wickets so far in the series.