IND Vs ENG, 4th Test: India To Modify Template In Manchester After Injury Setbacks
An injury-ridden India might need to change its preferred strategy when facing a revitalized England in the fourth Test starting Wednesday at Old Trafford, aiming to break their winless streak there and level the series.
After the first Test in Leeds, India had settled on a line-up featuring three all-rounders, including Nitish Reddy, who is now out of the series due to a knee injury.
With Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar as spin-bowling allrounders, India had solid batting until number eight. However, this might change in Manchester, where India has yet to win in nine attempts, comprising four losses and five draws. England leads 2-1 heading into the penultimate game of the series.
Shardul For Reddy?
Shardul Thakur, who played in the series opener, is the direct replacement for Reddy but doesn't offer the same batting prowess. If selected, he would need to improve his bowling performance, as Reddy took crucial wickets in the third Test at Lord's.
India might return to the combination used in Leeds, where Jadeja was the sole spinner and specialist batters were included up to number six, with both Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan in the playing eleven.
Uncapped pacers Anshul Kamboj and Prasidh Krishna are also options, either of whom could replace Akash Deep if he doesn't recover fully from his groin injury. Kamboj, like Akash Deep, can generate significant seam movement and looked in good form during the first outdoor training session before the high-stakes match. He was also part of India A's shadow tour of England.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are certain starters in the playing eleven.
The Indian batting line-up, led by Shubman Gill, faltered at Lord's, and they will aim to correct their course in this crucial game. Despite low returns in the third Test, Gill has scored over 600 runs in the series and needs to return to his prolific form from the team's perspective.
Jofra Archer has twice dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal in his successful return to Test cricket, and the young Indian left-hander will be better prepared to face Archer's pace.
Gill has been the top run-scorer for India, but KL Rahul has looked the most assured across six innings, providing a batting masterclass in English conditions at the top of the order.
Rishabh Pant seems to have fully recovered from his finger injury and is expected to perform his dual duties as usual.
If Nair gets another chance, he will be keen to convert his starts into a big score. Ravindra Jadeja has been solid in the middle order with four consecutive 50-plus scores but is expected to contribute more with the ball.
When: July 23-27
India doesn't play at Old Trafford regularly, with their last match there in 2014. The last Indian century at this venue was scored by Sachin Tendulkar in 1990.
India is in a must-win situation, while England holds the advantage, having led the series at Lord's.
Ben Stokes, as usual, selected his playing eleven before the game, with Liam Dawson replacing the injured Shoaib Bashir. Dawson, the left-arm spinner, last played for England in July 2017.
Manchester has experienced regular rain over the past week, with light showers forecasted for most of the five days. The damp weather will provide moisture for fast bowlers on day one.
The heated exchanges between the teams have added excitement to the series, promising another thrilling match at Old Trafford.
'Every game we've played so far has gone into the last hour of the game, which you do not see very often. I've had a lot of people come up to me saying 'it's been an amazing series, thank you'. Everybody said that the Lord's game was one of the best games that they've watched, so it's been an amazing series and I'm looking forward to the rest of it," said Harry Brook.
Full Squads
India: Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (vc & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj.
England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (vc), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.
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Ben Stokes England cricket team icc world test championship India cricket team India vs England India vs England 2025 Shubman Gill
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First Published:
July 22, 2025, 16:11 IST
News cricket IND Vs ENG, 4th Test: India To Modify Template In Manchester After Injury Setbacks
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