INDIA may be forced to shift from its usual playing combination when it faces England in the fourth Test at Old Trafford starting Wednesday, with key injuries disrupting its settled approach.
The visitors, trailing 1-2 in the five-match series, are yet to win a Test at this venue in nine previous attempts — with four losses and five draws — and will aim to level the series in Manchester.
India had fielded three all-rounders in the eleven after the first Test in Leeds, including Nitish Reddy, who has now been ruled out of the remainder of the tour with a knee injury.
With spin-bowling all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar providing batting depth till number eight, India’s balance could be tested. The team may not have that luxury at Old Trafford.
Shardul likely replacement for Reddy
Shardul Thakur, who played the opening Test, is the likely replacement for Reddy, though he does not offer the same batting contributions. He will also need to deliver with the ball, as Reddy had taken important wickets at Lord’s.
India could revert to the combination used in Leeds, where only Jadeja played as a spinner and the batting line-up extended to number six, featuring Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan.
Uncapped pacer Anshul Kamboj and Prasidh Krishna are also options if Akash Deep does not recover in time from a groin injury. Kamboj, who was part of the India A tour of England, showed promise during the team’s first outdoor training session and can generate seam movement similar to Deep.
Fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are set to retain their spots in the eleven.
Top order eyes recovery after Lord’s loss
India’s batting unit faltered at Lord’s for the first time in the series. Captain Shubman Gill, despite a low score in the third Test, has scored over 600 runs so far and will look to return to form.
Jofra Archer dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal twice at Lord’s, and the Indian opener will be aiming to adjust to the England pacer’s speed in the upcoming match.
KL Rahul has looked composed throughout the series and remains a key part of the top order. Rishabh Pant appears to have recovered from a finger injury and is expected to resume his dual role behind the stumps and in the middle order.
Nair, if selected again, will aim to convert his starts into a significant score. Jadeja, who has scored four consecutive 50-plus innings, will be expected to contribute more with the ball.
India last played a Test at Old Trafford in 2014, and the last Indian century at the ground came from Sachin Tendulkar in 1990.
England, meanwhile, go into the fourth Test with the series lead and unchanged confidence.
England unchanged apart from Dawson in for Bashir
England captain Ben Stokes named his playing eleven ahead of the game, with Liam Dawson replacing injured spinner Shoaib Bashir. Dawson last played a Test in July 2017.
The weather forecast includes light rain throughout the five days, and the recent rainfall in Manchester could leave moisture on the surface for the fast bowlers early on.
Tensions between the two teams have increased through the series. Gill addressed his exchange with England openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley on day three at Lord’s.
"The English batsmen on that day had seven minutes of play left. They were 90 seconds late to come to the place. Not 10, not 20, 90 seconds late," Gill said. "Yes, most of the teams use this. Even if we were in a position, we would have also liked to play fewer overs, but there's a manner to do it.
"If you get hit on your body, the physios are allowed to come on and that is something that is fair. But to be able to come 90 seconds late on the grass is not something that I would think comes in the spirit of the game."
England batter Harry Brook said, “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.”
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.
(With inputs from agencies)
