ENG vs IND 4th Test: Both Teams Predicted Changes in Playing XI for Old Trafford Clash

Probable Team Changes for England

Liam Dawson for Shoaib Bashir

Despite England winning the 3rd Test at the ‘Home of Cricket’, Lord's, they might still be making a few changes in the team.

After the 3rd Test, the only spin bowling option in the England line-up, Shoaib Bashir, was injured during the match, which ruled him out of the series. He later retuned to bowl in the fourth innings and picked up the final wicket to pick up a famous win for the hosts. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has meanwhile included Liam Dawson in the team to replace the off-spin bowler.

Dawson is a left-arm orthodox spin bowler who is making his return to the England setup after more than 7 years. Last time he featured against South Africa back in 2017 and was dropped from the team after an average performance. Interestingly, he made his Test debut against India only.

At the age of 35 years old, Liam Dawson has gained significant experience playing in the County Championship and don't be surprised if he starts the match because England don’t have any other spin bowling option other than him, unless they want to try batting all-rounder Jacob Bethell.

Gus Atkinson for Chris Woakes

England expected lots of big things from their pace bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes. But it hasn't been a great season for him with 60 runs with the bat and 7 wickets in 6 innings. In this case, England could bring in Gus Atkinson in his place.

Atkinson was added to the England squad ahead of the 3rd Test, but he wasn't included in the playing XI as he was still recovering from the injury he suffered against Zimbabwe.

Gus Atkinson is a great pace bowler who can contribute immensely with the bat as well. He picked 3 wickets vs Zimbabwe in the previous series but didn't get the opportunity to bat.

But prior to that, Atkinson scored 99 runs in 4 innings, including scores of 48 and 43, and took 12 wickets in 6 innings vs New Zealand in an away tour. His addition will boost batting as well as provide more bowling strength after Jofra Archer’s inclusion in the last match.

Probable Team Changes for India

Karun Nair to be dropped from the playing XI

The biggest outcome from the Indian team’s 22-run defeat vs England at the Lord's Cricket Ground is that Karun Nair’s return to the Indian cricket team after 8 years hasn't been a great one.

Karun Nair was included in the Indian team in place of Virat Kohli, who announced his retirement before the series. Nair had a fantastic domestic season. But in the England series, he has scored only 131 runs in 6 innings, with his highest score being 40 runs off 62 balls.

Given that the first two matches were played on a batting-friendly surface where the Indian batter did so well, except for Karun Nair, he was still backed for the 3rd Test, but he couldn't step up to the occasion when the team needed him the most.

With that, his opportunities now seem to have expired and it looks like that he might have played his last international game. Team India has some great middle-order batters in the wings waiting for an opportunity to try themselves in this series.

The likes of Sai Sudharsan and Dhruv Jurel are touted as the most likely options to replace the 33-year-old middle-order batter. Sai Sudharsan is an ideal choice for Nair’s replacement as he is a number 3 batter. Wicketkeeper batter Dhruv Jurel, meanwhile, has played mostly around the 5-6 position, and it will be exciting to see whether they put him at number three.

Other than these two, Team India also has the option of bringing in Abhimanyu Easwaran at number 3. Normally an opening batter, he should settle in very well at number three. So, it seems very much likely that Nair will be dropped unless Team India wants to back him for one final opportunity at the Emirates Old Trafford.

Will Jasprit Bumrah play the 4th Test in Manchester?

Going into the 4th Test match at the Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester, every Indian cricket fan has one question in mind: Will Jasprit Bumrah play the 4th Test?

Team India chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed Jasprit Bumrah would play 3 out of 5 matches during the England series to manage his workload. He was rested for the Birmingham Test which India won by 336 runs but shone at Lord’s with 7 wickets in the 3rd Test.

Now the question is, will Jasprit Bumrah be rested for the Manchester Test? Well the decision certainly depends on the Indian team management whether they play him or rest him. 

But one thing that is important to note is that the 4th England vs India Test match at the Emirates Old Trafford is a must-win match for Team India. Team India desperately needs a win in this match to make it 2-2 after four matches, or else England can win the series with a win here. Thus, there is no point dropping Bumrah for the 4th Test and bringing him back for the 5th Test with the series already lost.

In another scenario, it will be great if Team India level the series in Manchester without Bumrah, then Jasprit will be back for the 5th Test and try to win the series. However, we believe given the importance of this match, it would be much more sensible to play Bumrah in the Manchester Test and try to level the scoreline. What the management decides will be exciting to see.

Tweak the Emirates Old Trafford surface

Meanwhile, there is a chance we might see some changes in how the Emirates Old Trafford surface plays. In this series, we saw that the first two Test matches were dominated by the batters with a batting-friendly surface.

Meanwhile, the Lord's pitch brought a different taste as there was great competition between bat and ball. 

The Emirates Old Trafford is one of the typical English pitches where there is swing and pace available. However, as the game progresses to the final days, the pitch starts to offer assistance to the spin bowler.

India has an advantage over England because of their spin attack, which includes Jadeja, Sundar, and Kuldeep, while England just has Liam Dawson. The pitch may favor both bat and ball, similar to Lord's.