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Worries surface over Steven Finn and Stuart Broad ahead of first Test against India

Image: Steven Finn: Misses final warm-up ahead of second Test

Stuart Broad and Steven Finn are doubts for next week's first Test and will miss England's final warm-up match against Haryana which starts on Thursday.

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Cook's partner

Gooch was giving nothing away about the identity of Alastair Cook's most likely opening partner on Thursday - and in next week's first Test. It is thought Nick Compton's unbeaten half-century in Mumbai on Monday has inched him ahead of Joe Root in the battle for an international debut next week. Gooch said of Compton: "He's had a couple of chances already, and Joe Root also played in the last match. "I think they're two very good players, obviously at different levels of their career. "One has been in the first-class game for quite a while, and gained experience and found his mark, found the way he can score runs and been very successful over the last couple of years for Somerset. "The other lad is obviously a young, exciting player. He has a good technique from what I've seen - this is the first time I've seen him close up - and he bowls a bit. So it's going to be quite a difficult selection." Others will come into consideration, while certainly for the second Test when incumbent number five Ian Bell flies home for the birth of his first child. "Then you've got Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow, Samit Patel all bidding for places," said Gooch. "I like competition for places; you want that, people to be putting their hand up and saying 'I want that place in the side'."

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