England recall James Vince for fourth Test against India
What's the story
England batsman, James Vince has been recalled by the management for the upcoming fourth Test match against India, starting at Southampton from August 30. The 27-year-old was dropped from the team post England's Test series against New Zealand, earlier this year. Vince has been mainly called as a cover for Jonny Bairstow, who suffered a broken finger during the third Test at Nottingham.
Bairstow
England pin hopes on Bairstow
Vince will play if Bairstow is ruled out of the Test when England assess their side. If Bairstow passes the fitness Test, we might see him playing as a specialist batsman. Jos Buttler will then don the role of the wicket-keeper. Bairstow has been one of England's in-form batsmen in recent times. They will hope that he manages to have a crack at Southampton.
Vince
Vince needs to grab this opportunity
Vince hasn't quite taken his opportunities to cement a place in the side. He averages just 24.90 in 13 Tests. The reason he has been called for the fourth Test match is because of scoring runs aplenty in the County Championship Division One. Vince has registered 847 runs at an average of 56.46. He has to grab the opportunity now if it arrives.
Issues
England's batsmen have been short of runs
The issue for England is that their top four batsmen haven't played big innings consistently. They have chopped and changed the side and whoever has come in hasn't quite settled in. Dawid Malan was dropped and his replacement Ollie Pope hasn't hit it off. If England need to change their fortunes, they should seek inspiration from somewhere. Can they find that from Vince?
Squad
England squad, TV listing and Timing
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Ben Stokes, Adil Rashid, James Vince, Chris Woakes. The fourth Test match will start at 3:30 PM IST on August 30. It can be watched live on the Sony Ten Network and can be streamed on the Sony LIV app.