The eagerly anticipated fourth Test match between India and England, is set to get underway from Friday in Ranchi. The stage is set for another thrilling encounter between both teams, with India securing victories in the second and third Test to lead the five-match series 2-1. England, who are trailing 1-2 in the series, will be hoping to bounce back with a win in the fourth Test. The fourth Test is incredibly crucial for both teams, making it another competitive game. 

The series got off with England dominating the first Test, clinching a comprehensive 28-run victory to make early dominance. However, India fought back in the second and third Test, putting up a commendable fight to go on to register consecutive victories, thereby leading the series 2-1. 

For India, a lot will depend on their players such as Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Sarfraz Khan to lead them from the front and deliver match-winning performances. Four of them played their massive roles in team’s victory in the third game. India are already short of KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, three of whom are away due to their respective concerns. 

India might be tempted to make a change in their lineup in the wake of Rajat Paridar’s lack of scoring across four innings. Patidar has only been able to amass 46 runs. India might look forward to introducing Devdutt Padikkal into the proceedings. 

Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the fourth Test, while KL Rahul was ruled out of the fourth Test due to fitness setbacks. With regard to Virat Kohli, he’d already pulled out of the entire series due to personal reasons. 

As far as England are concerned, they will look to find their rhythm back to fight India’s dominance. In the third Test, victory remained unreachable for England with all of their batters failing miserably to demonstrate their skills with the bat. England would expect their bowlers and batters to come forward with renewed energy to put up an exceptional performance. 

India probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Devdutt Padikkal, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj.