RCB Star Akash Deep Makes Debut As India Bowl First In 4th Test vs ENG At Ranchi
Rohit Sharma and Ben Stokes (X.com)
The much-awaited fourth Test match between India and England is finally getting underway and England have won the toss and elected to bat first. England announced their playing XI a day earlier and made two changes with Ollie Robinson in for Mark Wood and Shoaib Bahir comes back in place of Rehan Ahmed.
India, on the other hand, have handed a debut to Akash Deep and that's the only change from their playing XI that played the last Test at Rajkot.
Playing XIs of IND vs ENG 4th Test -
England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Tom Hartley, Ollie Robinson, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson
India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
Both captains were eager to bat first, with the pitch expected to deteriorate later, and England would be hoping that they put a big first innings total on the board and put pressure on India.
Here is what two captains said -
Ben Stokes (England Captain): "We will bat first. Obviously, going 2-1 down in the series, there is enough importance to this Test match. I feel there will be some assistance to the pacers in the first hour and we have to adapt to the conditions. The bowling has been coming on good. There is a schedule and a lot of work to be put in to get ready. We have been given opportunities throughout the series. But I’m really happy with how we have operated throughout the series."
Rohit Sharma (India Captain): "We would have batted first as well. It looks a bit dry. Some cracks but that’s the nature of the pitch here and we have to play well to get on top. The last two games were good for us. A lot of the young guys have stood up to the challenge and taken the responsibility. That’s a good sign for us moving forward. These will be the future players for us. They were confident guys and knowing what they want to do for the team. If they continue to do what they have been doing, it will be good."
India, on the other hand, would be hoping that their pacers extract any help they get early in the first session, and it would be interesting to see how Akash Deep goes about his business against a top quality batting line-up.
The likes of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow are under pressure with not a single notable performance in this series so far, and Indian bowlers would be looking to get some early wickets and put pressure on English middle order. India are leading the series 2-1 and it is all set up nicely for another thrilling Test match.
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