New Delhi: Team India have been grappling with a spate of injuries and there is a small possibility of the team having to tweak its usual game plan as they take on the ever so resilient England in the fourth test, starting Wednesday at Old Trafford in Manchester. With the test series so poised, India will be aiming to break their winless streak at the historical venue.
After a cut-throat performance against England in the first test at Leeds, India settled into a balanced line-up with three all-rounders, including Nitish Kumar Reddy who has been ruled out of the remaining matches owing to a knee injury.
Shardul Thakur, who featured in the series opener, is likely the replacement for Reddy in the playing XI. However, he doesn’t offer the same batting depth and will need to step up with the ball as well, especially after Reddy’s timely breakthroughs in the third test at Lord’s.
There is minor relief among fans, with Mohammad Siraj confirming the comeback of Jasprit Bumrah, who is ranked as the world’s best test bowler. Bumrah, returning from a back injury, is expected to play only three of the five tests in the series.
With Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar being the two spin bowling all-rounders, Team India had an unbreakable momentum of batting till number eight but that balance could be easily disrupted at Manchester. India haven’t won a test at Old Trafford despite nine attempts, with four losses and five draws.
England are currently leading the series 2-1 heading into the red ball format.
Apart from this, Akash Deep has been hampered by a groin injury, and there is a speculation of uncapped pacers Anshul Kamboj and Prasidh Krishna taking his place. Arshdeep Singh, who is yet to feature in the series, sustained an impact injury to his left thumb while bowling in the nets during a training session in Beckenham last week, ruling him out of the fourth test.
Given the available options, India might have to revert to the combination they used in the first match of the series at Leeds: playing just one spinner in Jadeja and stacking the top order with specialist batters up to number six, including Karun Nair and Sai Sudharshan in the XI.
Kamboj has the capability of generating significant seam movement as Akash Deep. In videos of India’s first outdoor training session ahead of the high-stakes clash, Kamboj looked in extremely good rhythm.
Lord’s marked the first major stumble for India’s batting unit in the series, and the Shubman Gill-led line-up will be eager to bounce back with everything still to play for. Despite a quiet outing in the third test, Gill has already crossed 600 runs in the ongoing series. From the team’s perspective, a return to his prolific scoring form could be crucial at Manchester.
While Gill remains India’s top run-scorer, it’s K.L. Rahul who has looked the most assured at the crease across six innings—delivering a batting masterclass at the top and handling English cricket conditions with calm authority.
Based on India’s training session 48 hours before the game, Rishabh Pant seems to have fully recovered from his finger injury and is set to resume his dual role behind the stumps and with the bat.
If Karun Nair retains his middle order spot, he’ll be eager to make his mark by converting his starts into a meaningful score. Ravindra Jadeja, with four consecutive 50-plus knocks, has been a pillar in the middle order, but the team will expect more from him with the ball in Manchester.
India haven’t played frequently at Old Trafford—their last test at the venue was in 2014. Notably, the last century by an Indian batsman here came from Sachin Tendulkar way back in 1990.
While India are in a must-win situation, England have taken the series lead. Ben Stokes, keeping the momentum intact, has already picked his playing eleven before the game. The only change for Wednesday is Liam Dawson coming in for the injured Shoaib Bashir.
Manchester has seen regular rain over the past week, and light showers are forecast for most of the five-day test. Given the damp conditions, fast bowlers are likely to find ample moisture to exploit on the opening day.
Sana Cheryl Felix is an alum of ThePrint School of Journalism, currently interning with ThePrint
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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