The 4th Test match of India tour of England (IND vs ENG) will be played between these two teams, The match will begin on 02 September 2021 at 03:30 pm IST.
Team winner Prediction:
Key Points:
- Although the scoreline shows otherwise, India have been a better side in two matches out of the total of three played in the series so far
- Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Virat Kohli looked in terrific touch with the bat in the previous match
- Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammad Siraj have all look threatening with the ball in all of their spells
ENG vs IND Analysis:
Alright then! The fortunes of Headingley favored the hosts and that has put the series in a beautifully balanced position. England and India are tied 1-1 and with just two matches to go in the series, both sides have a lot to play for. Also, the results of this series will count towards ICC Test Championship 2022 as well and a win in the upcoming contest can go a long way in establishing supremacy in the series.
After two good outings in the first two matches, the Indians are certainly under the pump. England, on the other hand, will be pumped by various factors. Having said that, this again is expected to be yet another cracking game of test cricket.
Match Details:
Date: September 02, 2021 (Thursday)
Time: 03:30 PM (IST)
Venue: Oval, London
Live Streaming: Sonyliv App
Pitch and Weather Conditions:
Rain could play spoilsport on day four and day five of this match. The forecast for the other days is good, with minimal chances of rain occurring. The average temperature should be 19 degrees Celsius across the five days.
Probably XI:
England:
Not many would have given England the chance to do what they did in the third match. They not only bundled India out for a dismal total, they also ensured that they batted India out of the equation. They were pretty successful in all three facets of the game and should be brimming with confidence coming into the fourth match.
England made a few changes to their playing eleven coming into Headingley and all those paid off pretty well in the third match. The opening pair of Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns looked more settled than ever, inspiring more confidence for the middle-order batsmen. Joe Root, as has been the case of late, was incredible and scored a match-winning century. Although England’s tail did not wag, their batting did enough to trouble India right throughout the game.
On the bowling front, England look well-equipped with bowlers available for all sorts of conditions. Ollie Robinson, James Anderson, Craig Overton, and Sam Curran were not only economical, but they all also picked up wickets at regular intervals. With Chris Woakes expected to join the squad back, we are likely to see either Sam Curran or James Overton sitting out of this contest. Another likely change is Jos Buttler making way for Ollie Pope, who has a terrific record anyway at The Oval Cricket Ground, albeit in domestic cricket.
Overall, England suddenly appears to be a lot better side with that win, but it would be interesting to see how they fare should they lose early wickets. Their top-order still looks slightly over-reliant on Joe Root and that can cause problems. Apart from that, Ravi Ashwin might well trouble the left-handed contingent that England have in plenty at the top. If England’s batting manages to deal well with India’s bowling, they should be an incredibly difficult side to face in this upcoming contest.
Likely XI: Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, David Malan, Joe Root (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Ollie Pope, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Olly Robinson, James Anderson
Please check the team once when Playing XI Announced.
India:
As often is a case after a team faces a heavy defeat, the talk of the town is about the team selection as far as India is concerned. There are plenty of questions that India would be searching for answers to and they’ll have to do that rather quickly. Even though they are still pretty much in the series, the momentum is against them. Also, their batting has not performed as well as it is capable of on paper and that is the most concerning aspect of this Indian side.
Not often do we see a team bundled out for less than 100 runs in an innings. However, India have achieved that unwanted milestone twice in a very short span of time. They were dismantled completely for 36 against Australia earlier this year and were bundled out for 78 very recently against England in the last match. Apart from that as well, India’s batting has been very inconsistent – doing incredibly well at times and then occasionally bundling out for paltry totals as well.
There is a chance that India might anyway be forced to take the field with six batsmen and a specialist wicket-keeper – a strategy that Virat Kohli played down in the post-match press conference of the third match if Ravindra Jadeja is not fit for the fourth match. Hanuma Vihari is the most likely replacement if the management does indeed decide to go in with six batsmen.
On the bowling front, however, India have done spectacularly well. The previous match was more of an anomaly as India allowed England to march past the 400-run mark. Ishant Sharma did not look fully fit in the previous match and we may well see either Shardul Thakur or Ravichandran Ashwin come in for Ishant Sharma.
The way India fought in the previous match despite getting all-out for a paltry total was commendable. Cheteshwar Pujara’s knock got all the deserved praise, but the form of Ajinkya Rahane is still a concerning point. All in all, India are down after the previous defeat, but given the fight they showed and the number of options they have, they are certainly not out. They should be able to bounce back and fight well at The Oval.
Likely XI: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj.
Please check the team once when Playing XI Announced.
Squads:
England Squad: Joe Root (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (WK), Rory Burns, Sam Billings, Sam Curran, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope (WK), Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes
India Squad: Rohit Sharma, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Prasidh Krishna