Virat Kohli accepted a fourth consecutive lost toss with a cheeky smile as Joe Root opted to bat first in the fourth Test between India and England at Southampton on Thursday.
Virat Kohli accepted a fourth consecutive lost toss with a cheeky smile as Joe Root opted to bat first in the fourth Test between India and England at Southampton on Thursday.
It was for the very first time in 39 Tests, Kohli has chosen to with an unchanged playing XI, which means there are no concerns about Ravichandran Ashwin’s injury anymore. Meanwhile, Root also confirmed that Jonny Bairstow will bat at No. 4, while he won’t keep the wickets.
After registering a comprehensive victory in Nottingham, India will look to continue their winning momentum when they take on England in the fourth Test of the ongoing five-match series here at The Ageas Bowl Cricket Ground on Thursday.
Previously, it has happened only once that a team has made a comeback in the five-match series after trailing it 1-2. Thus, for Indians to be able to do the same will be nothing less than a great achievement.
After losing the first two Tests, the Virat Kohli-led side bounced back strongly to clinch a thumping 203-run win over the Englishmen in the must-win third clash.
With a green-top laid for the penultimate Test, the pacers are likely to play a crucial role in deciding the fate of the match. However, the match-winning performance by the Indian bowlers in the last Test will definitely boost up the confidence of the visiting side.
Talking about the batting department, there are very few chances of India making any changes as both the top order and middle-order batsmen complemented each other well in the Nottingham Test.
As far as England team's combination is concerned, they have included batting all-rounder Moeen Ali and left-hand batsman Sam Curran in their squad for the fourth Test. The duo will be replacing Ollie Pope and Chris Woakes in the team, ESPNcricinfo reported.
Meanwhile, the right-hand batsman, Jos Buttler will take over the wicket-keeping duties from the injured Chris Woakes, who will be playing as a specialist batsman in the team.
India’s Playing XI: Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah
England's Playing XI: Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Joe Root (c), Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.
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