England wicketkeeper Ben Foakes will return to the side for the first Test against India in Hyderabad, captain Ben Stokes has confirmed.
Jonny Bairstow will play as a specialist batter after Harry Brook left the tour for personal reasons.
The tourists could pick three frontline spinners on what looks to be a dry surface.
But uncapped off-spinner Shoaib Bashir is definitely out after travelling back to the UK to resolve visa issues.
It is probably more likely that England will opt for just two spinners alongside the pace of James Anderson and Mark Wood, with Joe Root also offering his part-time off-breaks.
Fit-again left-armer Jack Leach will play, possibly leaving a choice between Rehan Ahmed, the leg-spinner who made his debut in Pakistan last winter, and uncapped Lancashire left-armer Tom Hartley, with Hartley appearing to have the edge.
Lancashire’s Hartley, 24, has taken 40 wickets in 20 first-class matches and has also played two one-day internationals for England.
“Tom is someone who’s very tall,” said Stokes. “He bowls at a very difficult pace to be able to handle out here.
“He’s someone who gets a lot of natural variation which, in India, is sometimes the hardest thing to face where you’ve got two of the same ball, ball after ball, and one turns square and then one could skid on and pick up pace.”
Brook left the squad following England’s training camp in Abu Dhabi after learning of a matter at home. He could return later in the five-match series.
Despite Brook’s prolific form, his absence simplifies a selection decision for England. Vice-captain Ollie Pope comes back at number three after recovering from a dislocated shoulder, with Foakes behind the stumps to play his first Test since the tour of New Zealand last February.
The Surrey man was left out during the home summer, as Bairstow was given the gloves to allow England to pack their batting.
However, Foakes’ superior glovework – Stokes has previously called him the best wicketkeeper in the world – will be a huge asset in India, where keepers are required to spend long periods standing up to the stumps on unpredictable pitches.
“He can not only do things other keepers can’t, but also make them look incredibly easy,” said Stokes.
“He’s a very special talent behind there and having someone like that who can maybe take a 2%, 3% chance, that could be massive in the series.”
For Stokes, the opener to the series will be his first competitive cricket since having surgery on a long-term left-knee problem in November. The 32-year-old had stitches in his meniscus as well as having bone spurs removed.
He is unlikely to bowl in this series – the home summer is a more realistic target to return to his usual role of all-rounder. With Stokes unable to bowl, England will lean on Root, with the captain even suggesting Root could take the new ball in the right circumstances.
Stokes, who has also lost weight in order to ease the burden on his knee, said he expects to be fit enough to play all five Tests.
“I’ve done everything away from it that a match requires,” said Stokes. “I’d never put myself ahead of the team if I didn’t think I could go out and play at a certain level.
“I’d never be that selfish to think of myself not performing at a certain level and what that could do to the team. I’ve done everything I needed to do to say I’m ready to go and play a Test match for England.
“I might have some long days in the field but I’m ready.”
