Joe Root restored Ben Stokes for the third Test with India after a one-on-one meeting that convinced him the talismanic all-rounder is now ready to put recent legal troubles behind him and get back to performing on the field.

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Stokes will on Saturday pull on the whites of his country only four days after being acquitted of affray at Bristol crown court. But, while this was almost inevitable from the moment the 27-year-old was hastily added to the squad on Tuesday afternoon, Root and the head coach, Trevor Bayliss, still needed to make a decision as to who would make way.

Despite earning the man-of-the-match award in the first Test at Edgbaston for a swashbuckling 63 and five wickets with the ball, the virtuoso performance by Chris Woakes in the victory at Lord’s means Sam Curran’s opening run of Test caps now stops at three; the 20-year-old has learned an early lesson about the brutal nature of international sport.

“It’s probably one of the most difficult selections I’ve had to make as captain,” said Root, whose side can now capture the Pataudi Trophy at the earliest opportunity with victory at Trent Bridge. “I sat Ben down last night, just me and him, and I asked him brutally and honestly if he was in the right place to play for England.

“He assured me that he’s ready to perform at his best. From that perspective, I have no worries or doubts that he will go and deliver just like he has so many times.”

Quick guide Why is this Test starting on a Saturday? Show Hide Not since 13 August 1955 has a Test in England started on a Saturday, when Peter May captained a team featuring Brian Close, Denis Compton and Jim Laker against South Africa at the Oval (they would win by 92 runs). Fast-forward through 63 years of mostly Thursday starts – with a few Fridays, Wednesdays and, in 2014, a Sunday – and we are in the midst of a five-Test series being played over a breakneck 42 days. India were keen on a break after the ODI series in July and another before the Asia Cup that begins in the United Arab Emirates on 15 September. This spacing was felt fairest, with three days scheduled between the first and second Tests and four between second and third (as it happened, the early finishes at Edgbaston and Lord’s added extra rest to the schedule anyway). If we go the full five days at Trent Bridge there will be an eight-day gap before the fourth Test in Southampton.

While convinced that Stokes was ready, a test of Root’s man-management skills then came in telling the man he was replacing. The England captain admitted Curran “wasn’t delighted” at the news but nevertheless bought into the squad mentality the management are trying currently to foster and one in which the unused Moeen Ali, Dom Bess, Jack Leach and Jamie Porter have remained with the squad at times this series. Root said: “At the start of the series I said to the team that for us to win a five-match series against the best side in the world it’s going to take more than just 11 players.

“It’s about us as a squad performing collectively for five games and Sam has played a massive part in the first two. He’s unfortunate to miss out. But what he’s done so far has been nothing short of high-class. That’s a really good sign for this group.

“He took confidence from performing really well. I don’t see this being the end for him. I’m sure he’ll have another part to play in this series.”

While Stokes has been welcomed back to the England set-up with open arms, his return, so soon after his seven-day trial and with a Cricket Discipline Commission hearing still to come, has divided opinion. For Root, who said the decision was made above his head, the job at hand is simply to pick the best available XI.

“You don’t want to leave someone like Ben out,” said Root. “He offers so much on and off the field. He is a big part of our team and I can see him putting in just as he always does. He has the ability to change the game. Hopefully that can be the case this week.”

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England opted to hold their initial team meeting this week in the confines of the dressing room at Trent Bridge rather than their usual spot on the outfield and, while Root declined to provide any details – “there are certain things that should be kept within the group” – it is understood Stokes did briefly address the team.

The ground is expected to be sold out for the first three days and Root admitted he did not know what reception Stokes will receive. Bayliss has already conceded that some public contrition from the all-rounder would not go amiss but the captain was unwilling to press this point further.

He said: “That is up to Ben and I am sure when it’s the right time he will say what he feels what he needs to say. More than anything my focus has always been that the 11 players we do take on to the field are absolutely ready to perform for this team and I feel he is in that place at the moment.”

While the early-hours street-fight on 25 September took place when Stokes was on duty with the one-day team, it has doubtless impacted on the captaincy of Root more than his limited-overs equivalent, Eoin Morgan. The latter is two years further into the job and in charge of a set-up that has plenty of players pushing for selection.

Root, meanwhile, lost his vice-captain and match-winner on the eve of an Ashes tour and amid a high turnover of players during his 18 months in charge is currently targeting what would be only a third series win in the six he has overseen.

But despite the stuttering form, compared with the one-day team’s surge to No 1 in the world, the two captains have been working together to address the culture of the England teams as a whole since the events in Bristol, with Root saying: “We want to leave this team in a better place than when we first came into it.

“As a Test team we sat down at the start of the year and said where we want to get to. That wasn’t just about performances. It’s an all-round thing and part of being an England cricketer. It covers more than just the cricket itself.”