After a week off for both sides India and England meet again in the fourth Test match of their ongoing series in Mumbai on Thursday. Having won the last two matches India know they are in a position where they can’t lose the series. England head into the match knowing they have to win to keep the series alive.
India
The Indians have won the last two matches quite comfortably in terms of the scoreboard and eventual result but in each game there have been moments where England were in the ascendancy so Virat Kohli and his men need to avoid being complacent here because this series could still turn around.
One area where anyone involved in Indian cricket will be delighted is with the bowlers especially the seam bowlers ironically. They have matched if not bettered their England counterparts and there are few who would have expected that before the series had begun. If that continues here India have an excellent chance.
England
After dominating the first Test without being able to stamp home their advantage the trend has continued for England in that in each match they have been on top but they have let India get away from them and I think Alastair Cook knows that as he still cuts a fairly relaxed figure in the lead up to this match knowing that his side aren’t as bad as the scorelines have suggested.
The key thing for England in these final two matches is to make sure they put the desired runs up. They have shown they can be competitive at times with meagre totals so if they can find the big totals then they may well be able to get something out of the series yet.
Team News
India are going to be forced into one change as Ajinkya Rahane has broken a digit in the nets and has been ruled out of the rest of the series. Karun Nair could keep his place although Manish Pandey has been called up. Mohammad Shami is an injury doubt. Bhuvneshwar Kumar could play if Shami isn’t fit.
England are also forced into a change after Haseeb Hameed left the tour after the previous match with a broken hand. Durham opener Keaton Jennings has been called up and it has been confirmed that he will start. Stuart Broad is an injury concern and is unlikely to feature.
Wankhede Stadium
This famous ground will be staging Test cricket for the 25th time. It has to be said India’s record in the previous 24 matches here isn’t as strong as it is on other grounds. They have 10 wins and seven defeats with seven draws. England have three wins and three defeats with a draw and won their last match here when Kevin Pietersen played arguably his best Test innings and Panesar and Swann did the rest.
We know the wicket here is always good for batting and it could be that it turns into the best batting strip of the series although like every Indian track we can expect some turn later in the match so first innings runs will be key once again.
Betting
As with the rest of the series so far I’m not going to get too into the match betting. Hopefully something will come up once we’re into the match but with India only needing a draw I would like to see their approach before I get too involved. Both sides have injury concerns as well which isn’t ideal so I’ll head to the side markets for my only bet.
Ben Stokes has had a solid series with the bat and the ball and he has a performance line in this match of 116.5. That looks low regardless of taking the numbers into account. So far in the series he has finished with totals of 187, 136 and 134 and on this track he should continue to score well. He’s a quality batsman and has had a big impact with the ball. He is also in positions for catches too so over four innings a target of 116.5 is well within his range.
Tips
Back B.Stokes’ Performance – Over 116.5pts for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Paddy Power
Back it here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2016
