 "England team from Lord's Test. AFP")
England have announced the playing XI for the crucial 4th Test of the series against India, which is slated to begin on July 23 at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester. England have made one change to the team from the Lord’s Test. Spinner Shoaib Bashir has been left out and in comes all-rounder Liam Dawson, who returns to the England Test XI for the first time since 2017.
England playing XI for the 4th Test
England are leading the series 2-1, and would enter Old Trafford with the intention to bury the 5-match affair by taking an unassailable 3-1 lead.
England XI for the 4th Test: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith, Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, and Jofra Archer.
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India set to make changes in the playing XI too
Team India has been struck by a slew of injuries following the Lord’s Test. Pacer Arshdeep Singh, who was in the reckoning for the 4th Test, and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy have been ruled out of the 4th Test owing to respective injuries. Moreover, there is suspense hovering over the status of Akash Deep as well.
The pacer is unlikely to feature in the penultimate Test as he has picked up a groin injury. Trouble persists in the batting department too, as Rishabh Pant is yet to fully recover from the finger injury he sustained at the Lord’s. The batsman is expected to play the Test, but it is not yet known whether he will take up the role of a specialist batter or play as the wicketkeeper of the team.
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All these issues make it clear that there will be tweaks in the XI of Team India for the Manchester Test. What makes the situation more grave for India is the fact that they are 1-2 down in the series and need a victory at any cost to bring the series back on level terms. Team India has come out victorious against all odds, but can they do it again, is the question.