India vs England Match Prediction: Who will win the 4th Test?

England and rain stand between India and a level series scoreline ahead of the fourth Test in Manchester. Down 1-2 following a tense defeat at Lord's, the visitors desperately need the weather to allow them to pull level in the five-match rubber.

Shubman Gill and Co. have had an interesting battle against the Englishmen, with plenty of headlines. There has been a bit of talk and a bit of bite, with the hosts not backing down against a younger Indian side. The series is delicately poised right now, and the fourth Test should prove decisive.

Unfortunately for India, they will be without Nitish Kumar Reddy for the remainder of the series. Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep will miss the fourth Test as well, potentially paving the way for Anshul Kamboj to make his international debut.

England, meanwhile, have brought in Liam Dawson for Shoaib Bashir, who injured his finger in the previous Test. They have retained the others in the playing XI, including the exciting Jofra Archer and the inconsistent Ollie Pope.

India's squad for the Test series vs England: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk/vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj.

England's playing XI for the fourth Test vs India: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.

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IND vs ENG 2025: Can Shubman Gill and Co. pull level?

England & India Net Sessions - Source: Getty

India's best batters - Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal - didn't deliver in the previous Test. If the duo come to the party, the visitors will certainly be in contention to pull level in the series.

However, there are concerns in the bowling attack. Without Reddy, India might not be able to field a fourth fast bowler, with Shardul Thakur failing to impress in the first Test. And with a three-pacer, two-spinner combination, Gill might not have the bowling resources needed to build pressure from both ends.

England have a few concerns of their own. Zak Crawley and Pope haven't been among the runs on a regular basis, while others like Ben Duckett and Joe Root have looked good without plundering the volume of runs they usually do. New-ball bowling has been a mild concern as well, with Chris Woakes not hitting his straps.

That said, however, England are arguably better placed to exploit the conditions in Manchester. They have an attacking batting unit that can make the most of an attack that might struggle to build pressure, as well as a dynamic bowling lineup that could trouble the opposition batters.

Rain is on the forecast for the first two days at least, so we might not see a result. If we do, though, the odds are perhaps marginally in England's favor.

Prediction: England to win the 4th Test vs India.