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After taking a 2-1 lead in the four-match Test series, India will lock horns with England in the fourth Test on March 4.
The match is scheduled to start at 9:30 PM IST local time and will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad, once again. The third test was historic in all senses; it was a pink-ball Test match at the World’s largest cricket stadium. Formerly known as the Sardar Patel Stadium, the stadium has been renovated and named after India’s current Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In terms of result, the match barely lasted two days as the Indians reigned supreme over England with a dominant 10-wicket victory. It was the shortest Test match since the Second World War as it ended with only 842 deliveries being bowled.
England’s skipper, Joe Root won the toss and chose to bat first and then the mayhem started. In his 100th test, Ishant Sharma was first to shake things up as he dismissed Dominic Sibley on a duck. While Zak Crawley played fluently and scored a fifty, the same cannot be said for his partners. Jonny Bairstow, who was playing his first match of the series, was dismissed for a duck by Axar Patel. With that, England kept on losing wickets and never managed to string a partnership and was bundled out for 112 with Axar bagging six wickets.
Indian started well, but Shubman Gill got out early again and even Chesteshwar Pujara was out on a duck. However, Virat started building a partnership with Rohit, but he also got out right at the end of Day 1. India had a nightmarish first session on Day 2, as they kept losing wickets and could only manage to score 145 with Joe Root picking up five wickets. The second innings was more of the same as English batters fell like a pack of cards and once again they were bundled for 81, with Axar completing his 10-wicket match while Ashwin picked up his 400th wicket in Tests. While chasing 49, the Indian openers were in a hurry, and they did it without losing a wicket.
So, Joe Root and company must put extra effort into understanding the nature of the dismissals as a lot of batters got out playing the wrong line. Also, there were problems in their team selection, as there was no need for a third seamer. Instead, they should have played a second frontline spinner to support Jack Leach as it is obvious that the pitch will assist spinners.
Key Players
India:
Axar Patel: With the kind of form he is in, it will be difficult to keep Axar Patel out of contention. The 27-year-old left-arm spinner has been top-notch for the Men in Blue. Axar has already picked up 18 wickets since his debut in the second Test at Chepauk. He picked up 11 wickets in the last match and will look to carry on that form forward.
Ravichandran Ashwin: While Axar ran riot, Ashwin also had his moment in the last match as he reached a milestone of being the fastest bowler to reach 400 Test wickets. Despite all the hype for Axar, Ashwin still remains the leader of the attack for India, especially in these conditions. He has also had a huge impact with the bat in this Test series and will look to continue on that form.
England:
Joe Root: While India made plans for Root’s batting, they certainly did not have any answer when he was bowling. So that makes the English captain a player to watch out for. It will be huge if he can lead his team to victory in the last Test match and therefore the England supporters will hope he comes up with another brilliant knock. The England skipper is someone who can make things happen and therefore the Indians will not make the mistake of taking him lightly.
Jack Leach: The Somerset left-arm spinner has been the only consistent spin bowler for the Three Lions since the first Test. Leach has shown a lot more control than his compatriots and has also kept his composure during tough situations. The 29-year-old has picked up 16 wickets and looked very lively in the first innings and with a little more support, Leach can be the trump card for Root in the next match, as he has been the pick of the bowlers for England.
Prediction
Apart from the timing of the game and the colour of the ball, nothing else will change. The pitch is likely to assist the spinners once again and considering the current form of the Indian spinners, the hosts will start as favourites once again. England are definitely under pressure after the last match, but they will look to bat more sensibly and also with more application in order to put up a fight against the hosts.
