ENG vs IND, 2025: England vs India, 4th Test Match Preview

England (ENG) and India (IND) are set to continue their series as they face off in the fourth Test match at Old Trafford in Manchester, from July 23rd to July 27th. Notably, England are currently leading the series 2-1.

England won the first Test convincingly in Leeds by five wickets and had a bright start to the series. However, India bounced back in the following Edgbaston Test to level the series, courtesy of a marathon innings by skipper Shubman Gill. The third Test at the iconic Lord's went down to the final session of the fifth day, with the hosts clinching a narrow 22-run win after both sides registered similar first-inning scores. Notably, England were docked two WTC points for their slow-over rate.

With the contest now moving to Manchester, this is a must-win match for India, who are eying a series win on English soil. Notably, England announced their playing XI two days before the Test match and have made one change, adding Liam Dawson to replace Shoaib Bashir, who was ruled out of the series owing to a fractured finger. Dawson, who last represented England in red-ball cricket was back in 2017, made a return after eight years.

Meanwhile, things are not great in the Indian contingent as they are suffering from a string of injuries. Nitish Kumar Reddy was ruled out of the series, citing a left knee injury. Meanwhile, Akash Deep is nursing an injury, and Arshdeep Singh, who was seen as his replacement, has been ruled out of this Test due to an impact injury to his left thumb while bowling in the nets at a training session in Beckenham. BCCI has brought in Anshul Kamboj as a cover. Furthermore, Rishabh Pant, who was seen having trouble keeping wickets in the last Test, might play as a pure batter, and Dhruv Jurel might walk in as the keeper.

Match Details

Old Trafford Pitch Report

Old Trafford in Manchester is considered to be a pacer’s paradise. However, it has settled down over the years into a slower surface. In the ongoing series, the pitch looks similar to Edgbaston, with initial grass cover, trimmed before the match. Batters can expect some bounce for the first three days, making a decent score of around 340-350. Pacers may extract movement under overcast skies, especially with light rain predicted across the five days. However, as the Test progresses, spinners are expected to play an important role due to pitch deterioration. 

ENG vs IND Head-to-Head Record in Tests:

ENG vs IND Probable Playing XIs

England:

Playing XI: (Announced)

Zak Crawley, ⁠Ben Duckett, ⁠Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith, ⁠Liam Dawson, ⁠Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.

India:

Predicted XI:

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair/Sai Sudharshan, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj.