IND vs ENG, 2nd Test: England star to bat despite finger injury

England top-order batter Joe Root is expected to bat in the final innings against India despite having a finger injury. He sustained the injury while fielding in the morning session on Day 3 of the second Test in Visakhapatnam on February 4. He attempted a catch to dismiss Shubman Gill off Tom Hartley's delivery and the thick edge sailed towards his left in the slip cordon which forced him to leave the field. 

There were speculations that Root would not be able to bat in the fourth innings. As per the latest reports, the 33-year-old will be fit to bat in England's 399-run chase. James Anderson stated that Root left the pitch as part of the preventive measure and confirmed that the medical team did not send him for a scan after careful examination.

"His finger is not great. He took a blow in training this morning and again on the field. It's just making sure that is as good as it can be for when he bats. Hopefully tomorrow he'll turn up at the ground and be OK to hold a bat," Anderson was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"He was just making sure he could do everything he could to help us out in the second innings, just making sure it's as good as possible for tomorrow. There's a chance we will need him with the bat so it's making sure he can hold a bat. I don't think there's concerns. It's making sure he's as good as he can be. There's no point risking it for an external blow, no point risking it further out in the middle, so it's making sure he's good enough to bat," the veteran added.

Speaking about the game, Yashasvi Jaiswal's double-hundred powered India to score 396 runs upon winning the toss. Later, Jasprit Bumrah made an impressive spell, 6/45, and helped India bundle out Ben Stokes and Co. by 253 runs. Shubman Gill starred in India's second innings as he notched up a century as the hosts scored 255 runs, setting a target of 399 runs. England made the best of their starts with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett stitching a 50-run opening partnership and the tourists were 67/1 on Day 3 stumps, needing 332 runs to win the game.