England vs India, Manchester Test: Dissecting key player battles
What's the story
India and England gear up for the fourth Test of the series at Manchester's Old Trafford, starting on July 23. The hosts, who are 2-1 up in the five-match affair, have already announced their playing XI, with Liam Dawson replacing the injured Shoaib Bashir. Meanwhile, Team India is dealing with injury issues with multiple key players doubtful for this fixture. Here we look at the key player battles that could determine the outcome of this high-stakes clash.
#1
Jasprit Bumrah vs Joe Root
Mohammed Siraj has confirmed Jasprit Bumrah's availability for the Manchester Test. The latter's presence could have a major impact on the match, especially against England's Joe Root. As per ESPNcricinfo, Bumrah has dismissed Root on 11 occasions in Test cricket, including twice across four innings in the ongoing series. Meanwhile, Root, who averages over 65 in Manchester (Tests), smoked a match-winning hundred in the third Test at Lord's. He would be raring to replicate his heroics.
#2
Shubman Gill vs Brydon Carse
India's captain Shubman Gill, who had a disappointing outing at Lord's after a stellar start to the series, will be looking to get back in form. However, England's star pacer Brydon Carse could pose a major challenge against him. The latter has dismissed Gill twice across five meetings in the ongoing series. Intrestingly, both these dismissals saw Gill fail to enter double digits. Hence, Carse could be brought on right upon Gill's arrival.
#3
Rishabh Pant vs Liam Dawson
Though Rishabh Pant seems to have recovered from his finger injury, reports suggest he might play the Manchester Test as a pure batter. The southaw has smoked 15 sixes in the ongoing series, out of which 10 have come against spinners. Pant's match-up with Liam Dawson will be interesting considering the dasher's history against left-arm spinners. The in-form Indian batter owns 528 runs against left-arm spinners in Tests at a stunning strike rate of 130.37.
#4
KL Rahul vs Jofra Archer
Jofra Archer made a stunning return to Test cricket after over four years, registering a match haul of 5/105 at Lord's. He struck with the new ball in both innings and trapped Yashasvi Jaiswal. However, his fellow opener KL Rahul managed to survive 50 balls against him without being dismissed. Rahul, who has smoked two hundreds in the ongoing series, will have the onus to nullify Archer's new-ball threat in Manchester.