India Suffer Huge Blow Before Must-win Test in Manchester

The fourth Test between England and India of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy is scheduled to take place on July 23 in Manchester. The Three Lions are leading the series 2-1 after a thrilling win in the third Test at Lord’s. To remain alive in the series, India must win the fourth Test, and it’s not going to be easy for them.

Recently, the Men in Blue are dealing with some serious injury concerns, which have pushed them back a little. A no. of fast bowlers have been injured while the allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is likely to be out of the tour as well. This gives a big headache to the head coach Gautam Gambhir ahead of the must-win Test in Manchester.

India Injuries Manchester Test: Check All Players

According to several reports, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and pacer Arshdeep Singh have been ruled out of the fourth Test. Reddy featured in the second and third Test of the series. He failed to contribute much with his bat, but he was very crucial with the ball, providing key breakthroughs to the Indian side. The 22-year-old young all-rounder injured his knee during a gym session on July 20, which has ruled him out of the entire tour.

On the other hand, Arshdeep Singh, who didn’t get to play a single Test in the series, injured his bowling arm during a practice session. Being a left-arm pacer, he could have been a crucial factor for the Indian team in the series, although he is yet to make his debut. However, as Akash Deep is also suffering from a groin niggle, there were high chances of Arshdeep making his debut in the fourth Test.

The main concern is Reddy’s absence, as he provided the balance to the team after replacing Shardul Thakur in the second Test. Although he couldn’t make an instant impact, he was one of the key players during the third Test. It would be interesting to see if India would go back to Thakur for the fourth Test or go with a proper batter or a pacer. Thakur didn’t bowl much in the first Test and also struggled with the bat.

India Injury Concerns in England

The injury crisis in the Indian camp started from Day 1 of the Lord’s Test when the star wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant sustained a finger injury. After that, he didn’t keep the wickets for the rest of the Test, and Dhruv Jurel kept in his place as a substitute wicketkeeper. The recent training drills also suggest that Jurel is going to be the full-time wicketkeeper in Manchester, while Pant will play as a proper batter.

This means Jurel will replace Reddy, and India might go with only three pacers and two spinners. However, the Indian side can include a pacer in place of Karun Nair, who hasn't been impressive in the series so far. Although, he got numerous starts but failed to convert them into big ones. It's now up to the Indian team whether they want to strengthen their batting lineup or bowling.

India Squad For England Tour (Updated)

It is being reported that the Indian cricket team has already named the replacement for Arshdeep Singh, and it is none other than Chennai Super Kings’ new bowling sensation, Anshul Kamboj. Kamboj was pretty impressive during India A games, showcasing his consistency with the red ball. However, he was sent back to India as Harshit Rana was named as the reserve pacer. But things are now back to square one, and who knows if he’ll even get to play his first-ever Test in Manchester only.

Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wk) (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Anshul Kamboj, Kuldeep Yadav.