India vs England, 4th Test: Match preview, stats and more
India and England are set to clash in the final Test of the four-match series, starting March 4. The hosts lead the series 2-1 presently. They need to either win or draw the fourth Test in order to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship final. Meanwhile, England would also want to end the series on a positive note. Here is the match preview.
Venue, timing, TV listing and pitch report
The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the fourth Test from March 4 (9:30 AM IST). As seen in the previous Test, the wicket here will likely assist the spinners. However, this could turn out to be a high-scoring affair. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network, while live streaming will be available on the Hotstar app.
Jasprit Bumrah to miss the fourth Test
It was recently reported that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been released from India's Test squad, and will miss the fourth Test due to personal reasons. However, there has been no further addition to India's squad for the Test. Either Umesh Yadav or Mohammed Siraj will replace the former. Probable XI: Rohit, Gill, Pujara, Kohli (c), Rahane, Pant (wk), Sundar, Axar, Ashwin, Ishant, Umesh/SIraj
England will likely bring back Dom Bess
Considering the Ahmedabad wicket, England would want to bring back off-spinner Dom Bess. He will likely replace Stuart Broad, who paired with James Anderson in the Day/Night Test. Besides, the visitors are expected to stick with the same top six that featured in the third Test. Probable XI: Sibley, Crawley, Bairstow, Root (c), Stokes, Pope, Foakes (wk), Bess, Leach, Archer, Anderson
Fourth Test: A look at the interesting numbers
Indian captain Virat Kohli will play his 60th Test as captain. He will equal MS Dhoni, who presently holds the record for most appearances as Test captain (60) for India. By winning another Test, Kohli (35*) could equal the wins tally of Sir Clive Lloyd (36) as Test captain. Meanwhile, senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (401) could surpass Curtly Ambrose's record of 405 Test wickets.
