Manchester: As India and England headed into the fourth Test at Old Trafford, the drama, intensity, and unpredictability of this enthralling series continued to live up to that statement. India trail 1-2 in the five-match series, and while the loss at the Lord’s still stings—with run-outs that shouldn’t have been and shots that could’ve been played better—the visitors are looking to reshape that reality.
Captain Shubman Gill will be banking on Jasprit Bumrah, whose ability to sweet-talk destiny could be the push India desperately need. With Akash Deep and Nitish Kumar Reddy ruled out due to injury, India are likely to hand a recall to B. Sai Sudharsan at No. 3, while Prasidh Krishna or the uncapped Anshul Kamboj could slot in as the third seamer.
Kamboj, notably, picked up all ten wickets in a Ranji Trophy innings last season. Conditions may even tip selection in favour of seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur over Washington Sundar.
The batting order hinges on a mix of grit and form. Yashasvi Jaiswal continues to impress, KL Rahul is back opening, and the in-form Gill leads from No. 4. All eyes, however, will be on Rishabh Pant. His rollercoaster series has included a game-changing mistake at the Lord’s and a brave, ultimately painful knock with an injured left hand.
The eight-day break before this Test has given him time to heal, but what version of Pant will we see in Manchester? Will it be the game-changer who lives on the edge, or a more measured version still recovering physically?
India have twice before bounced back in a Test series—against West Indies in 1974-75 and Australia in 1977-78—though on both occasions, they lost the decider. This match presents a chance not only to keep the series alive but to chase history. But England, too, have been in this situation—only once have they failed to convert a 2-0 lead into a series win, when Don Bradman’s brilliance in 1936-37 turned the tide.
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'Stay at the wicket, runs will follow': HarmanpreetNew Delhi: Indian women’s cricket team secured a 2-1 win in the ODI series against England at Chester-le-Street thanks to skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s seventh ODI ton. In a video released by the BCCI Women account on ‘X’, Harleen Deol interviewed the India captain and asked her if she has a ‘problem’ with England citing her superior record against them and what her mindset was on the day. “I don’t have a problem with England; it’s just that I scored my first century against England, which gives me confidence whenever I bat against them. I was thinking of just staying at the wicket, if you are out there the runs will follow. Earlier I felt I was playing very rushed but today the aim was to spend extra time at the crease,” said Harmanpreet. After Smriti Mandhana’s wicket fell in the 18th over, Harmanpreet and Harleen went on to add 81 runs for the third wicket. The middle-order batter asked her skipper how she evaluated their partnership on the day. "It was a crucial time, we needed a partnership and also needed to score quickly, as we had already spent time at the crease. From there we needed to score as fast as we could for the team. We calculated well, counted the runs being scored each over, which bowler to attack; we ticked all the boxes needed for a good partnership,” Harmanpreet added. |
