Ahead of India’s opening game of the series against England, the team management would be scratching their heads over a familiar dilemma, zeroing in on their ideal bowling attack for the Chennai Test.

Including spinners, all-rounders and quicks, India have a total of eight bowling options at their disposal. While there’s no official word, Hardik Pandya is likely to be kept away from bowling duties, with the series said to be more of an exercise to monitor his progress ahead of India’s tour to England later this year.

With no Ravindra Jadeja in the squad, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar are the two all-round options, and Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah return from injury layoffs to bring the pace count to four. Among the options available, Ravichandran Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah are shoo-ins, with Ishant Sharma, too, more or less guaranteed of a spot. The rest of the slots make for an interesting mix of combinations, ahead of what would be India’s first home Test since November 2019.

While Virat Kohli remained non-committal over the bowling attack during the pre-match press conference, we take a look at all the possible combinations and what each one offers (and doesn’t offer).

One spinner + three quicks

Pros: Fielding four bowlers presents the opportunity to bring in the extra batsman in the form of Mayank Agarwal or KL Rahul, who could lend stability to the middle order in the absence of Hanuma Vihari. With Wriddhiman Saha most definitely out of contention, another option is to slot in Hardik Pandya, who is renowned for his game-changing ability across formats.

Cons: With no part-time options available, fielding just four bowlers could result in the home team lacking depth in their attack. While India has relied on its pace attack in recent times, keeping just one spinner in Chennai, where the track tends to support slow bowling later on, might not be the ideal call.

One spinner + four quicks

Pros: Including all four quicks solves one of India’s selection headaches, which currently requires them to choose between Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur. It’s an interesting mix, and with a tinge of grass supposedly on offer, does make for an unlikely yet promising option.

Cons: Once again, given the lack of part-time options, having a pace heavy attack in Chennai could backfire, especially since there is expected to be turn on offer towards the second half of the Test. Against England, spin is supposed to play a vital part, and leaving it all on Ashwin could make it hard on the off-spinner.

Two spinners + two quicks

Pros: With this option, Ashwin gets much-needed support in the spin department through Kuldeep Yadav, and there’s still space to pick an extra batsman. If Shardul Thakur is one of the quicks, his all-round ability makes the batting even longer.

Cons: Makes the combination skewed – Kohli stressed on the need for picking players who can bowl and bat both, and balancing half the workload on just two quicks, right after the spate of injuries the team’s recovered from, could be problematic early in the series.

One spinner + one all-rounder + two quicks

Pros: A balanced scenario which allows India to field one of Washington Sundar or Axar Patel alongside Ashwin, while ensuring that the all-rounder lends weight to the batting too. Sundar and Axar, both nagging customers with the ball, possess ample batting ability to be the ideal No.7.

Cons: No shortcoming as such. While drafting an extra batsman might be a welcome prospect, India might not necessarily require a tail as long. Keeping an extra bowler instead seems to be a better option, as India has showcased with its five-bowler theory in the last half of the decade.

One spinner + two all-rounders + two quicks

Pros: Adding two all-rounders and excluding Kuldeep Yadav gives ample depth to both their bowling and batting. A combination of Axar and Washington could be the closest India could get to filling Ravindra Jadeja’s void, and a three-pronged spin attack gives enough variety for the skipper to put to good use at different points in the game.

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Cons: As good as Axar and Washington are, they’re still untested at the Test stage, and their holding role might not be able to attack the England line-up as comprehensively. Having a specialist spinner in Kuldeep Yadav certainly gives the bowling a better edge.

One spinner + one all-rounder + three quicks

Pros: Another balanced (and more likely) option that provides the team the option to field a more balanced pace attack, possibly a combination of Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah with one of the newer quicks. In case one of the quicks is having an off day (always a possibility on Indian pitches), the third seamer provides further cushion.

Rishabh Pant will take the wicketkeeper's spot ahead of Wriddhiman Saha for the first #INDvENG Test, confirms Virat Kohli in the pre-match press conference. pic.twitter.com/6zwLQ9vzaN

— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) February 4, 2021

Cons: There’s little wrong with the combination, the only discussion being whether having three quicks for the Chennai pitch, traditionally helpful for slow bowlers, would be the ideal call. Given how tourists in the past have struggled against home spinners, it could rather be better to expand the spin attack as the fifth bowling option.

Two spinners + one all-rounder + two quicks

Pros: Another likely possibility, especially with reports that India could end up fielding three spinners. By including both Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav, India get two aggressive spinners who could dictate the course of the game (and the series). A third spin option adds further depth, without compromising on the batting.

Cons: A combination with little to argue against. The only question could be around having two quicks in the line-up when India’s recent strength has been a solid pace attack. It also puts the spotlight on Kuldeep and the all-rounder (Axar or Sundar). Kuldeep hasn’t played a Test in two years, and the two all-rounders have one Test cap combined. Would it rather make sense to bolster the pace attack instead?

With less than 24 hours to go, it remains to be seen which route Kohli & Co. take.