India would be desperate to win the upcoming fourth Test against England in order to draw level in the five-match series. Their hopes of winning the series took a huge blow after they lost the third Test at Lord’s.
England beat the visitors by 22 runs in the last Test to go 2-1 up in the series. While even two draws will be enough for England to clinch the series, the Shubman Gill-led side will be needing to win the remaining two Tests to win the series.
However, it would not be easy for India to win the fourth Test. Not only is the momentum with England but the tourists are also expected to miss a number of players for the crucial game. So, here we are taking a look at three players who are likely to miss the fourth Test.
3 India players who are likely to miss the fourth Test:
Karun Nair:
Karun Nair could be dropped from the team after failing to score big in the first three Tests. After returning to the Test team following an eight-year hiatus, the right-handed batsman has not really managed to justify his spot in the playing eleven.
While he has been getting the starts, he has failed to convert them into big scores. With the series on line, it won’t be surprising if he is dropped from the playing eleven for the fourth Test. Abhimanyu Easwaran is likely to get a chance in the playing eleven if Nair is dropped. Easwaran is yet to make his debut in Test but has a fantastic record in red-ball cricket.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma To Miss Sri Lanka Tour, Shreyas Iyer Likely To Lead in ODIs
Rishabh Pant:
India could also miss the services of their star wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant for the crucial Test. Pant suffered a finger injury while keeping the wickets during the third Test. While he batted in both the innings, Dhruv Jurel kept the wicket for the most part of the match.
Pant is now in a race against time to be fit for the fourth Test. India will be desperately hoping that the in-form batsman recovers in time for the next match. Pant has been one of the best performers with the bat in the ongoing series. With 425 runs from 3 games including 2 centuries, he is the second highest run-scorer in the series.
Jasprit Bumrah:
Team India could be also without their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for the important match. While Bumrah has not suffered any injury, he could be rested due to workload management. According to reports, Bumrah had told the team-management that he would be available to play only three Tests in the ongoing series.
Having already played two Tests, he is expected to play one more game. The team-management would be looking to have his services in the fifth Test and could rest him for the fourth.