4th Test Preview: Can India break Manchester curse against England?
What's the story
The fourth Test match of the ongoing series between England and India will be played at Old Trafford, Manchester, from July 23 to July 27. The hosts are currently leading the five-match series by a margin of 2-1. The preceding Test at Lord's saw England win by a narrow margin of just 22 runs. Meanwhile, India are eyeing history as they have never won a Test in Manchester. Here we look at the match preview.
Series dynamics
India to stand in a must-win game
England won the series opener in Leeds by chasing down 371. India made a strong comeback in the second Test at Edgbaston, leveling the series. However, in the third Test, both teams scored the same runs in their first innings. The hosts won by 22 runs but were penalized two WTC points for slow over-rate. This makes Manchester a must-win match for India to keep their hopes of winning on English soil alive.
Match details
Old Trafford pitch report
The Old Trafford pitch is known to be a pacer's paradise but has become slower over the years. The current pitch resembles Edgbaston with some grass cover, which will be trimmed before the match. Batters can expect bounce for the first three days while pacers may get movement under overcast skies. As for spinners, they are likely to play an important role as the Test progresses due to pitch deterioration.
DYK
India are yet to win a Test in Manchester
Between 1936 and 2014, India have played nine Tests at Old Trafford. They lost four of those games, with five Tests ending in draws (1936, 1946, 1971, 1982, and 1990). Notably, India haven't played a Test in Manchester since their 2014 tour. Meanwhile, England have played a total of 20 Test matches at Old Trafford since 2000 and have won 14 of them. The tally includes four draws and a couple of defeats.
H2H
Overall head-to-head record
Overall, India and England have faced each other in 139 Tests since their first encounter in 1932. Out of these, India have won 36 matches while England emerged victorious in 53. The remaining 50 matches have been drawn. On English soil, the two teams have played 70 matches, with India winning 10 and losing on 38 occasions.
ENG XI
England announce playing XI; Indian team in trouble
England have announced their Playing XI for the game. The team sees the return of spinner Liam Dawson, who has replaced the injured Shoaib Bashir. That is the only change in England's XI from the third Test. England's Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicket-keeper), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, and Jofra Archer.
IND XI
Will Anshul Kamboj debut for India?
India are likely to make several changes due to fitness issues. Rishabh Pant is likely to play as a pure batter due to fitness concerns with Dhruv Jurel keeping the wickets. Uncapped pacer Anshul Kamboj can replace the injured Akash Deep in the XI. India's Probable XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan/Karun Nair, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Anshul Kamboj, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
India
Here are India's key performers
Ravindra Jadeja has been on a roll in this series as his scores read: 11, 25*, 89, 69*, 72, and 61*. Rishabh Pant has smashed 15 sixes in the ongoing series, the joint-most for a batter in a bilateral Test series in England. Jasprit Bumrah owns two fifers across four innings in this series. Shubman Gill's current tally of 607 runs at 101.17 is the most for an Indian batter in a bilateral Test series in England.
England
A look at England's key performers
Chris Woakes owns 35 wickets from seven Tests at Old Trafford. He averages a solid 17.37. With 978 runs from 19 Test innings at 65.20, Joe Root is the leading run-getter in Tests at Old Trafford. Ben Stokes has racked up 579 Test runs at a remarkable average of 52.63 at the venue. Jamie Smith has managed 415 runs across six innings at 103.75 in the ongoing series (50s: 2, 100: 1).
Poll
