Despite injury, Bairstow ‘desperate’ to keep his place as wicketkeeper

England face the prospect of contending with a resurgent India in the fourth Test starting at the Ageas Bowl on Thursday, they will have to sort out unease in the dressing room as the team management pushes a reluctant Jonny Bairstow to play as specialist batsman.

While the wicketkeeper has been in great batting form – he is next only to Virat Kohli in the series aggregate – he is nursing the ‘small’ fracture suffered in the third Test at Trent Bridge.

England, with a shaky top order, desperately want Bairstow to play, though the player is desperate to continue as keeper.

Trevor Bayliss, England’s coach, said Bairstow will be asked to bat, most likely at No 4 to allow rookie Ollie Pope to drop down to No 5 and add strength to the batting.

The injury can be aggravated if Bairstow keeps, although he didn’t seem pleased to be pressured to give up keeping. “The finger feels good… the swelling’s gone down and it’s a lot better than I thought it was going to be,” he said on Tuesday.

Playing as specialist batsman? “It is up for discussion at the moment. I don’t know how it’s going to be. I’m going to try and keep wicket (at training). I want to play, so if I’m not able to keep wicket, I’d like to think I can play as a specialist batman. At the same time, I’m still desperate to try to keep my place as the keeper.”

Does he agree with the assessment he can improve as a specialist batsman? He retorted: “That’s quite a bold statement because if you look at the stats they suggest I’m better if I keep wicket as well. You’re kind of entering unchartered territory when you’re making bold statements and as I mentioned I’d like to keep my spot as keeper because I like to think it’s gone well over the last 38 or 39 Tests since I’ve been keeping for England.”

Bairstow said England’s midseries slump – they lead 2-1 – could inspire the team to bounce back in Southampton, but the focus was on his handing over the keeping gloves to Jos Buttler. Will he do it for the team? “I don’t know what the conversations are that are going to be had but it’s a difficult one because you put so much hard work into keeping wicket over a sustained period. It would be like saying ‘do you want to give up your lap-top and write everything free hand again.”

He wasn’t impressed being asked to bat at No 4. “Whereabouts are you talking about batting? I’m batting at five at the moment which is a pretty strong position.”

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