James Vince could return to England’s plans for the fourth Test on his home ground at Southampton next week following the 203-run defeat by India that left Jonny Bairstow nursing a broken finger and the captain, Joe Root, lamenting his batsmen.

England will name their squad on Thursday and Bairstow, who sustained the hairline crack to his left middle finger while keeping wicket on Monday, may yet be included as a specialist batsman. Vince would thus be cover, with Jos Buttler expected to take the gloves regardless.

Ed Smith, the national selector, dropped the Hampshire captain from his first squad this summer and the return of a player averaging 24.9 from 13 Tests will not worry India unduly. The tourists are buoyant after requiring only 17 balls on the final morning in Nottingham to claim the final wicket and cut England’s lead to 2-1 with two to play.

Despite ruing a second-day meltdown with the bat in which 10 wickets were lost in a session and ultimately with it the Test, Root said: “We’re definitely in the driving seat as far as the series goes. We have to keep remembering that.”

It is clear that while there is a glut of batsmen queuing up for spots from five to eight, the top order is not working. And while Keaton Jennings is short of runs during his second spell in the side, there are also questions resurfacing over Alastair Cook’s longevity after just one half-century in 14 innings this year for the 33‑year‑old opener.

Cook, who made 29 and 17 in Nottingham, has been feast or famine over the past 12 months, registering an unbeaten 244 in Melbourne during the winter’s Ashes defeat and 243 against West Indies last summer but offering little in between.

Root said: “The hardest point to bat is opening. He’s a world-class performer, he’s proven that time and time again and actually I’d like you to write him off because every time he’s written off he comes back and scores a double hundred.

“You never really know what someone is thinking. But the way he speaks on the field, the way he speaks to the batters around the group and offers his experience, it doesn’t look like someone who is thinking about jacking it in.”

There is a small complication as regards Cook’s immediate future with his wife, Alice, expecting their third child some time around the fourth and fifth Test. Root, while noting such things “are not an exact science”, said the selectors would consider the left‑hander available but “play it by ear”.

The return of Vince, who averages 56 in Division One this summer and made scores of 74 and 147 for Hampshire in their win against Nottinghamshire at the Ageas Bowl this week, would allow Root to drop down to his preferred No 4 position and move Pope away from the newer ball.

That said, the latter could make way for Moeen Ali, fresh from a double century and eight wickets for Worcestershire at Scarborough, should the pitch call for two spinners. It all hinges on whether Bairstow, who is said to able to grip the bat unimpeded, is deemed worth risking, even if Buttler appears certain to keep wicket.

Root said: “Jonny is obviously a world-class batter in good form and would warrant his place within the side as a batter. In terms of keeping, we are very fortunate to have Jos in the team already. It would make things very easy in terms of him stepping into that role.”

On his own scores of 16 and 13, the England captain said: “I don’t feel as though I’m Bambi on ice or anything. I’m determined to get things right but you’ve got to earn the right, get in and lay a platform to make a big score. I don’t think I’m far away.”

As regards his team’s overall performance in Nottingham, Root laid the blame squarely on their batting and added that to explore other issues would be “nit-picking” (despite catching remaining a significant problem). He pointed to Buttler’s maiden Test century in a second-innings stand of 169 with Ben Stokes as the template, as well as his opposite number, Virat Kohli, making 200 runs for the second time this series.

Root said: “[Our first innings] was obviously not good enough. For the group of players we’ve got it’s well below what we’re capable of doing – even in bowler-friendly conditions. The best players always find a way to score runs. Look at someone like Virat, who is at the top of his game at the moment, and he has managed to do that. And that partnership between Jos and Ben – it’s a great lesson to the batting group of how to go about things in Test cricket.”

England, meanwhile, confirmed that Buttler and Jennings are clear to play for Lancashire in their T20 Blast quarter-final at Kent on Thursday while Moeen can turn out for Worcestershire in their home tie against Gloucestershire on Saturday. Stokes, who has reported a niggle in his left knee but is not considered a doubt for the next Test, is rested from Durham’s hosting of Sussex on Friday.