A subcontinental sojourn filled with hope is threatening to unravel rather quickly for England. Following a below par 1-1 result in Bangladesh, they were always going to be up against it when confronted by the top ranked Test team in the world.
Despite giving the Indians a considerable scare in the drawn opening Test in Rajkot, Alastair Cook’s side now find themselves picking up the pieces after suffering comprehensive defeats in Vizag and Mohali. On the other hand, the Indians will be gunning for another victory which will make the fifth match redundant.
Let us take a close look at five of the most pertinent aspects relating to the all important fourth Test in Mumbai
#5 – England return to a home away from home
England might not get a better venue than this if they were to get back into the series. The Wankhede pitch has traditionally offered good carry which would keep seamers interested for the most part of a Test even as visiting batsmen have also enjoyed batting here.
Historically, their record at this stadium reads – three victories and three losses from seven Tests. More importantly, two of those wins had come in the previous two matches. They may not have an Ian Botham to rule the roost like in the Golden Jubilee Test of 1980 or a Kevin Pietersen to turn their fortunes around à la 2012. But, the memories of yore could instil some much-needed self-belief into them.
#4 – Mumbai pitch expected to start turning from day three
So far, two Ranji Trophy matches have taken place at the Wankhede Stadium. While the first one between Maharashtra and Delhi produced totals of 635/2 and 590, the second game saw a combined tally of only 869 runs across all four innings.
The curators have promised a pitch which should offer something in between. Refuting theories of the home team requesting a batting-friendly surface, the ground staff expect spinners to come into the contest from the third day onwards. Nevertheless, the copious amount of bounce should facilitate sharp turn during the business stages of the match.
#3 – Injuries mar India‘s lead-up
The hosts will welcome back KL Rahul who seems to have recovered sufficiently from his most recent injury. Wicket-keeper batsman Parthiv Patel might find himself batting lower down the order. *When it appeared like Karun Nair would have to be dropped after an unfortunate run-out in his only Test innings, Ajinkya Rahane’s eleventh-hour finger injury should offer him a lifeline. Mohammed Shami remains a doubtful starter due to a sore knee and the final call will be taken shortly before the toss.
Even though they have played three spinners in all three previous Tests, England might feel that two should be enough in Mumbai. However, a lot would depend on Stuart Broad’s fitness with Gareth Batty’s position being under jeopardy. Since Haseeb Hameed has been ruled out of the series, Keaton Jennings will become Alastair Cook’s latest opening partner.
Probable XI
India
Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Karun Nair, Parthiv Patel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Mohammed Shami/Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav
England
Alastair Cook (c), Keaton Jennings, Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Johnny Bairstow (wk), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Stuart Broad/Steven Finn and James Anderson
(*Note: The article has been updated after Ajinkya Rahane’s injury)
#2 – Ravindra Jadeja on the verge of a major milestone
Here are a few significant statistics to keep in mind ahead of the Mumbai Test.
Jadeja needs only five more wickets to become the 20th Indian bowler to complete 100 Test wickets.
An absorbing battle is brewing between four leading batsmen across the globe to end up as the most prolific run-scorer in 2016 across all formats. Though Root (2378) and Kohli (2345) seem to have the upper hand at the moment, the Australian duo of Steven Smith (2048) and David Warner (2030) are not out of it yet as they still have one ODI as well as two Tests to play before the year ends.
Cook requires 66 more runs to become the 10th batsman in Test history to complete 11,000 runs.
Kohli needs 41 more runs to become the 14th Indian batsman to complete 4000 Test runs.
#1 – Onus on Pujara and Kohli
Having been re-united at the top of the order, Vijay and Rahul will be under considerable pressure for different reasons. While the former can expect a barrage of short-pitched bowling, the latter might be a touch shaky given his recent history with injuries. Though the lower-order has been contributing significantly, Pujara and Kohli will have to show the way with another vital partnership.
England might continue to rely on their lower middle order to add firepower to the batting lineup. The spin duo of Ali and Rashid should also enjoy bowling on a pitch which will suit the pace at which they usually operate.
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