Venue: The Oval, London
Time: 3:30PM IST
Average score at venue: 313
Win percentage while batting first: 100%
Pitch Conditions:
- The Oval a venue where teams can post big totals, but a cautious approach while batting first should be the priority as the pitch is expected to favour fast bowlers early on.
- India have won only one Test match at this venue out of 13 played so far, and if they are to keep the series alive, the visitors will have to be at the top of their game. India’s batsmen have let the team down on several occasions already in this series.
- The fast bowlers have a wicket-share percentage of 66.23% compared to 33.77% for spinners, something that can encourage the touring party to draft in one of the world’s best spinners Ravichandran Ashwin into the equation.
Weather prediction:
The last two days of the fourth Test match of this series are expected to witness some amount of rain, more so for the final day, while the first three days can be considered the best for this contest. The humidity percentage will linger around mid 70% whereas the temperature will be around 20°C on an average for all the five days of this match.
Head-to-head performance:
Matches played: 129
India won: 30
England won: 49
Tied: –
Draw: 50
AT HEADINGLEY, LEEDS:
Matches played: 13
India won: 1
England won: 5
Tied: –
Draw: 7
Top 3 players from India: Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammad Shami
Top 3 players from England: Joe Root, James Anderson, Ollie Robinson
Top picks for H2H/WTA contest (top 5 players each)
Top 5 players from India: Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul
Top 5 players from England: Joe Root, James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Haseeb Hameed, Chris Woakes
Q&A:
Should I pick more bowlers, batsmen or all-rounders?
The pitch at The Oval in London is expected to support the fast bowlers when the deck is fresh and the ball is new. But gradually, it is expected that the pitch will ease out and become increasingly conducive for batting as the game progresses. It is also believed that spinners may have a vital role to play in this contest, which is why there are reports of India mulling over the inclusion of Ravichandran Ashwin in their bowling attack. The addition of Ashwin will also provide India with the option of carrying an extra batsman, something that they did not consider for the first three matches of the series but missed dearly at Headingley in the third Test. Both the teams are likely to make a few but vital of changes in their playing XIs, hence it will be wise to make the batting order stretch as far as possible in the fantasy playing XI in order to cover all bases and be ready for any ups and downs.
From which team should I pick more players in my XI? Which team is stronger?
Both India and England are ‘stronger’ in their own rights but it is in crucial moments that they both tend to slip, lose control, momentum and eventually the contest. On the final day at Lord’s in the second Test, England squandered the game from a position of complete command to lose by a huge margin of 151 runs in a matter of a few hours. In the third Test at Leeds, India failed to recover from a horror start and just could not put up a fight. Despite England managing to turn tables around in the third Test, India still remain a superior side given they address their middle order problems heading into the fourth Test. With a new contest impending, it must be seen what kind of changes both the teams are likely to make with some key players in Ravichandran Ashwin and Chris Woakes expected to make a return to their respective playing XIs.
MORE INFORMATION:
Players’ form: Once again, we are at a juncture which needs a reminder that if India are to win this Test series in England, their middle-order will have to score runs. This team has been built on the principle of taking 20 wickets to win a Test match, but this bunch seems to have left behind the basic principles of scoring runs. Barring Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, the rest of the Indian batsmen have cut a sorry figure so far on this tour, starting with their captain Virat Kohli. In the second innings at Headingley, Rohit, Cheteshwar Pujara and Kohli struck crucial half-centuries to lead a spirited fightback but the contest was lost on the first day itself when they were shot out for an embarrassing 78 in the first innings. Ajinkya Rahane failed in both the innings, leading to calls for the India vice-captain to be dropped. Rahane has failed to deliver time and again despite getting innumerable opportunities. Rishabh Pant neither has any runs or any impactful innings to show, and ostensibly, his position in the team is under scrutiny once again. India’s bowlers looked ordinary throughout the the third Test after the splendid and spirited performances at Lord’s and Trent Bridge. All in all, it is the time for India to answer their critics and show that they cannot be dominated as they were on all four days of the third Test. Meanwhile, England will be pleased with how they came roaring back, riding on a splendid third century of the series by their captain Joe Root. But the hosts would also know that it is too early to claim anything as a lot of cricket is left to be played.
Changes in squad (if any): YES
LIKELY XIs:
INDIA (IND): Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane (vc)/Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.
ENGLAND (ENG): Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Ollie Pope, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson, Craig Overton, James Anderson.
FANTASY XI:
KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Joe Root (c), Virat Kohli (vc), Jonny Bairstow, Rishabh Pant (wk), Chris Woakes, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, James Anderson, Jasprit Bumrah.
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India, England set for imminent changes ahead of two-Test decider
These may be boring, mundane lines for a writer to write and a reader to read. But then, it is what it is: Indian batsmen are set for their biggest challenge on the tour after suffering twin collapses that saw them losing all the advantage they had after winning the second Test at Lord’s. A huge defeat by an innings and 76 runs inside four days at Headingley, Leeds, has left the Indian camp struggling for answers as to how should they address their batting woes that have ailed them for far too long.
Should they drop their vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane who has been horribly out of form? Or should they drop Cheteshwar Pujara, who occupies a coveted slot of No 3 in the batting order and make way for the much-promising Suryakumar Yadav and Hanuma Vihari? And what must Kohli do to find the form he had during the 2018 tour?
And last but not the least, what should they do to stop the juggernaut in the form of Joe Root?
Rohit Sharma has been India’s best batsman by a fair distance but without a century to his credit. The right-handed opening batsman, who has his reputation built on exploits of white-ball cricket — essentially with his strokeplay — has been the epitome of success and example for its peers in the Indian camp. Rohit has not only notched scores on a consistent basis, but these innings were built upon the essential elements of watching the ball closely, being judicious in leaving them, being careful in prodding out and making most of the loose deliveries.
If the other three key batsmen in the Indian camp are to be judged on the parameters set by Rohit so far on this tour of England, the troika of Kohli, Pujara as well as Rahane will be found wanting desperately. Pujara did manage to end a drought of big scores by notching up 91 in the second innings at Leeds, where Kohli finally scored a half-century too. But these scores neither prevented an impending, heavy defeat nor did they signalled the return of form for any of these batsmen.
Rahane’s position is yet again under intense scrutiny after twin failures in the Headingley Test. The India vice-captain has his reputation built on the claim that he can play rescue acts in tough and demanding overseas conditions, something that he did successfully in the second innings at Lord’s to some extent. But all of that is under question given how he has been dismissed time and again.
For far too many times, Rahane has been caught behind in the slips or by the wicketkeeper on deliveries that were moving away from him, or were delivered in the channel outside the off stump questioning his judgement and patience. All this has left Rahane’s critics and fans questioning his temperament as well as the technique.
Kohli is an adamant believer of the five-batsmen-philosophy which means the five specialist batsmen that he selects, including himself, will have to account for the runs that are put up on the board. Unfortunately for India, this has not been the case so far in this series. At Lord’s, India were staring at the possible defeat on the fifth and final day but a surprise 89-run unbeaten stand between Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah rescued them and delivered a total big enough to inflict a loss on England.
Ishant Sharma remained wicketless in the only innings that India had to bowl at Headingley, and given that the pitch at The Oval is known for easing out with progression of the game, the visiting side will be tempted to play one of the best spinners in the world, Ravichandran Ashwin, against the seniormost India fast bowler.
The inclusion of Ashwin will also help India stretch their batting further, especially knowing that Ravindra Jadeja could miss the fourth Test owing to a hamstring injury that he suffered in the third Test.
On the other hand, England will feel that they have their noses ahead after inflicting heavy defeat on the Indian team last week. England are set to make further changes into the side with Chris Woakes joining the team after recovering from injury. Woakes is expected to replace Sam Curran whereas the exit of Jos Buttler, who is heading home for the birth of a second child, will mean that England are adding more to their batting strength by including Ollie Pope. Jonny Bairstow will take the wicketkeeping role.
Root has struck three consecutive centuries in this series and if he went song goes on to score more, India will be under severe pressure given that their batsmen have been failing collectively and their bowlers cannot be expected to come to the rescue in every single innings and match.
