IND vs ENG 4th Test: Depleted and hurt, Shubman Gill's India hunt Lord's payback in Manchester

India Today

21 hours ago

Shubman Gill ko gussa kyu aata hai? Once a calm, cheerful, Instagram reel-making youngster, captaincy has brought out a very different side of Shubman Gill. That shift was on full display at Lord's, where Gill clashed with Zak Crawley, demanding bravery from the England opener in fading light.On Tuesday, 22 July, Gill walked into the pre-match press conference stone-faced. When asked about the incident, he delivered a cold reply that rippled through the press room: they came 90 seconds late with only seven minutes left to play.advertisementTechnically, arriving 90 seconds late is not against the rules - batters get 3 minutes to reach the crease in Test cricket. But the delay cost India one over on Day 3 at Lord's, and clearly rubbed Gill the wrong way.
Maybe he wasn't just angry at England. Maybe he was angry at himself. Lord's was the only Test so far where Gill didn't score a hundred. And if he believes the top-order collapse lost India the match, he would be the first to take that blame.The undertone of hurt and anger was reflected in Mohammed Siraj's press conference as well, two days back, when he said that there would definitely be more words exchanged between the teams in Manchester. Usually a guy who loves to have fun, if 'Miya' says that words are going to be exchanged, then words are certainly going to be exchanged.And truth be told, India will need some of that in Manchester.India's Injury CrisisHeading into the fourth Test match, where the series could potentially be decided, India will be without two of their first-choice players - Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep. While Akash won India the match in Birmingham, Nitish looked solid at Lord's, just his second outing of the series.Both have picked up injuries, and painfully so. Nitish has been ruled out for the remainder of the series, and Akash is out of the fourth Test.That's not all. India also do not have Arshdeep Singh available in this Test, who could have been a straight swap for Akash in the overcast conditions of Manchester.As things stand, India might have to hand a debut to Anshul Kamboj, unless they want to go with Prasidh Krishna — the only fit pacer left on the bench.While the injury pile-up in the bowling department will keep the management busy, there's some good news in the batting. Rishabh Pant has made a full recovery and will take the gloves in the fourth Test.This means India don't have to play Dhruv Jurel as a specialist keeper, which eases some of the pressure on team balance and selection.Bringing Fire to Damp ManchesteradvertisementIt's been raining in Manchester in the build-up to the fourth Test of the series. But if both teams walk the talk, there will be no shortage of fire in this game. England captain Ben Stokes has said he will not back down from a fight in the fourth Test, especially after the way India behaved at Lord's.Gill, as mentioned earlier, is perhaps looking for a scrap too, and maybe that is exactly what this Indian team needs. The group has been riddled with injuries heading into a high-stakes clash, and a little bit of edge might just be the lift they need.Truth be told, the hugs at the end of the Lord's Test have probably been forgotten. And both teams are looking to fight it out tooth and nail in England.Manchester Weather ReportAccording to the BBC Weather forecast, Manchester is expected to remain cloudy throughout the opening day, July 23, with light rain chances gradually rising from the afternoon - peaking at around 29 percent by the evening.Temperatures are expected to stay on the lower side compared to London, hovering between 14 degrees in the morning and climbing to a high of 20 degrees during the day. Across the five days from July 23 to 27, conditions are expected to stay chilly and unsettled, with temperatures ranging from 13 to 23 degrees.advertisementManchester Pitch ReportOld Trafford is generally considered a good batting venue in England. Teams can expect to score 350-plus in the first innings, and chase totals of around 200 in the fourth. The surface usually doesn't offer much for spinners, so pace is likely to dominate.India vs England Predicted Playing XIsEngland have already announced their playing XI. They made one forced change, with Liam Dawson returning to the Test side after eight years. India, on the other hand, will be forced to ponder upon combinations and will perhaps bring in Sai Sudharsan and Shardul Thakur back in the line-up.England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Liam Dawson, Brydon Carse, Jofra ArcherIndia Predicted XI:KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair/Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shardul Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Anshul Kamboj- EndsTune InMust Watch