England vs India 2018, 4th Test: India's Predicted XI

After coming up short in the first two games, the Men in Blue made a startling comeback as they prevailed over England by a margin of 203 runs in the 3rd Test to make it 2-1 in the five-match series and keep their hopes alive.

The next encounter between the two sides will now take place on the 30th August at the Rose Bowl Cricket Ground, which means that both the teams have ample time to look back at the errors they made and rectify them in the upcoming matches.

Having said that, we take a look at India's predicted playing XI in the 4th test.

Squad: Virat Kohli (C), Dhawan, Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Pujara, Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ashwin, Jadeja, Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Shami, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Karun Nair, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hanuma Vihari

---

Openers:

Shikhar Dhawan

In the 3rd Test, Shikhar Dhawan was drafted in the starting XI as a replacement for an out-of-form Murali Vijay and the Delhi-born southpaw did cement his place in the Indian squad for the remaining two matches.

Dhawan scored a total of 35 in the first innings and notched up 44 off 63 balls in the second half before handing his wicket to Adil Rashid to become the first Indian opener since 1952 to be stumped in England. As a result, he will most likely retain his place in the upcoming Test match.

KL Rahul

Before the commencement of the 3rd Test, questions were being raised on KL Rahul's selection since the 26-year-old struggled to find his feet in the first couple of matches.

Nevertheless, his performances in the recently-concluded Test, even though unexceptional, will be enough to keep him in the team for another match.

Middle-order

Cheteshwar Pujara

Having been given the cold shoulder in the first Test, Pujara was welcomed back for the succeeding Test after his absence was dearly felt. However, an unfortunate run-out and a peach of a delivery from Stuart Broad saw him flounder.

He showed his true mettle in the 3rd Test as the 30-year-old racked up 72 off 208 balls in the second innings which helped his side set a monstrous target of 521 for England.

Virat Kohli

Probably the most predictable entry in the starting XI, Virat Kohli has undoubtedly been India's best batsman in the ongoing series despite the fact that his leadership skills have come under fire.

With two awe-inspiring knocks in the 3rd Test that saw him register 97 and 103 respectively, he will be raring to lead India to another historic win at the Rose Bowl Cricket Ground.

Ajinkya Rahane

After proving to be majorly disappointing in the first two Tests, Ajinkya Rahane was another batsman who regained his form in a glorious fashion by scoring 81 off 131 balls in the first innings of 3rd Test.

As such, he will hold on to his position in the upcoming Test matches in all likelihood.

Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant received the green light ahead of Dinesh Karthik in the Test match at Trent Bridge following the 33-year-old's substandard form that resulted in him managing an unimpressive total of 21 runs in 4 innings along with 2 ducks.

And the wicketkeeper-batsman did enough to outscore Karthik. All the same, he will have to pull up his socks in order to establish himself as a regular in the forthcoming internationals.

All-rounders

Hardik Pandya

There is no point now in questioning Hardik Pandya's presence in the starting XI courtesy of his maiden five-wicket haul in the first innings that annihilated England's batting order and a commendable 52 in the latter half of the match.

Consequently, he is a fixture in India's starting line-up for the all-important 4th Test.

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin did not display any notable performance in the 3rd Test, which might have placed his status in a precarious situation. However, it would be criminal to leave him out in the cold for the coming Test in view of his exceptional performances in the previous two Test matches.

Bowlers

Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami

As it stands, Ishant Sharma will continue to spearhead India's bowling attack for the rest of the series, come what may. As for Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar's injury has furnished him with the golden opportunity to settle his place in India's starting line-up conclusively.

With regard to Jasprit Bumrah, the 24-year-old marked his return in a glorious fashion as his five-wicket haul in the second innings toppled England's batsmen. All in all, in my view, the starting XI will remain unchanged for the 4th Test.