Joe Root's (106*) guides England to 302/7 at stumps on Day 1 of 4th Test against India in Ranchi

[BouncerGuy]

The Indian cricket team, led by Rohit Sharma, is poised to clinch a series win as they face England in the fourth Test of the five-match series in Ranchi this coming Friday (February 23). Despite a 28-run defeat in the first Test in Hyderabad, the team bounced back with two resounding victories in Vizag and Rajkot.

The third Test in Rajkot saw India triumph over England by a staggering 434 runs, putting them in a dominant position to secure another series win on home soil. This victory gave India a 2-1 lead in the series, a significant recovery after the initial setback in Hyderabad.

After facing a shock series opener in Hyderabad, Rohit Sharma-led Indian team showcased a remarkable turnaround by winning the second and third Tests, taking a 2-1 lead in five-match IND vs ENG Test series.



England's playing IX: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes ©, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson, Shoaib Bashir.
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[Ab Fan]

Rahul will replace Patidar but who is coming in for Bumrah, that's a real question mark.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Rahul will replace Patidar but who is coming in for Bumrah, that's a real question mark.

Will it be mukesh?

 

[WengerOut]

I can understand India resting Bumrah if they win the 4th test. But if they rest him for 4th test, i would have to question the priorities of both parties. A marquee test series or crash-bang-wallop festival .

 

[Ab Fan]

I can understand India resting Bumrah if they win the 4th test. But if they rest him for 4th test, i would have to question the priorities of both parties. A marquee test series or crash-bang-wallop festival .

All the pacers in the world get rested. It is not about festival only. Festival is still a month away.

 

[BouncerGuy]

If Bumrah's body allows him to play, he should play but if he think he is not 100 percent fit or he may get injured during the game, he can be rested,

 

[Vikram1989]

I can understand India resting Bumrah if they win the 4th test. But if they rest him for 4th test, i would have to question the priorities of both parties. A marquee test series or crash-bang-wallop festival .

He doesn't have a normal action and he is a Lamborghini on indian roads.we should respect our prime property .

 

[kron]

Rahul will replace Patidar but who is coming in for Bumrah, that's a real question mark.

Reports are saying aksh deep
Not arshdeep. Aksh deep. Other contenders are Mukesh kumar and siraj as a Lone bowler with 4 spinners. So sundar or axar to come in too

 

[kron]

Will it be mukesh?

Might as well gift wrap the game if Mukesh plays. He is the worst bowler I have ever seen.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Might as well gift wrap the game if Mukesh plays. He is the worst bowler I have ever seen.

Yeah this guy looks toothless.

 

[kron]

He doesn't have a normal action and he is a Lamborghini on indian roads.we should respect our prime property .

That is true. Bumrah is like a fighter jet. He is no passenger carrying airplane.

Extra care needs to be taken for protecting bumrah's special abilities.

Cummins and rabada have easy actions. It's repeatable and less stressful. Bumrah is a fighter jet in comparison. Cummins and rabada are more like light jet and commuter lines in comparison based on action. That's why bumrah is also a level above both at his best.

 

[HydratedTurnip]

Might as well gift wrap the game if Mukesh plays. He is the worst bowler I have ever seen.

You clearly have not seen Prasidh Krishna bowl -- that guy is even more terrible. Was cannon fodder on those minefield of SA pitches

 

[kron]

Yeah this guy looks toothless.

I dont know how he got wickets in SA. Must be the pitch tbh. On very seam friendly tracks he may be ok. I still wouldn't pick him. He reminds me of the guy Warner bashed around in early 2010 era. Can't remember his name. Indian bowler. Like a gully cricket bowler.

 

[kron]

You clearly have not seen Prasidh Krishna bowl -- that guy is even more terrible. Was cannon fodder on those minefield of SA pitches

Ah yes. That's another one. Atleast he did ok in odi previously. Not sure what happened to prasidh. At one point he looked good. He went downhill after some injury If I recall correctly. Now he was atrocious in SA

 

[Vikram1989]

Might as well gift wrap the game if Mukesh plays. He is the worst bowler I have ever seen.

Problem with dravid is he thinks players shouldn't have attitude and have that willingness to respect blah blah .He thinks he is smart and doing the right things for Indian cricket team.He should prefer Andrew Nel/ Srisanth over mediocrity. Bishnoi was neglected specifically for above reasons for good 2 years.

 

[WengerOut]

All the pacers in the world get rested. It is not about festival only. Festival is still a month away.

If your main fast bowler is resting when a test series is in the line just to rest him, maybe he should retire. What is the point of playing tests if not for results?

 

[Ab Fan]

Reports are saying aksh deep
Not arshdeep. Aksh deep. Other contenders are Mukesh kumar and siraj as a Lone bowler with 4 spinners. So sundar or axar to come in too

If it's 4 spinners, it will be Axar because Jadeja is already there to take care of batting at 6 and Axar and Ashwin at 8 and 9 are good choices too.

Think it will be 2 pacers unless it is a rank turners.

 

[Vikram1989]

If it's 4 spinners, it will be Axar because Jadeja is already there to take care of batting at 6 and Axar and Ashwin at 8 and 9 are good choices too.

Think it will be 2 pacers unless it is a rank turners.

Even if it's a flat pitch Sundar is better option than Mukesh. He can bowl with new ball unlike axar or other spinners. If it's a rank turner it may be good for us as eng were 50/7 in the second innings. We should go for the kill instead of trusting seeming dharmasala pitch.

 

[kron]

Even if it's a flat pitch Sundar is better option than Mukesh. He can bowl with new ball unlike axar or other spinners. If it's a rank turner it may be good for us as eng were 50/7 in the second innings. We should go for the kill instead of trusting seeming dharmasala pitch.

But India have a better bowling attack. If anything on seaming tracks it favours india.

 

[Vikram1989]

But India have a better bowling attack. If anything on seaming tracks it favours india.

Problem Is shami's size hole and siraj is too emotional to play a support hand.I am not sure about India's inexperienced batters on seeming tracks with series on line

 

[sweep_shot]

The issue for England in this series has been their inability to bat out long overs. England need to find a way to bat for 120-130 overs.

 

[James]

I think Bumrah should be rested for both the remaining Tests, along with Kuldeep Yadav, Jaiswal, and Jadeja too. Got to think about future series and upcoming events.

 

[jnaveen1980]

They can try Umesh. I know he is washed up and old. But instead of Mukesh i would rather prefer that guy.

 

[AMSS]

Bumrah didn't take a bagful in Rajkot but he was influential and ENG bats were never in against him. Big miss psychologically too, because I can see ENG batters going hard in Ranchi knowing their margin for error will be higher in Boom's absence.

 

[Vikram1989]

Any news on Jaiswal's back? .I heard he may be injured and patidar/Padikkal may replace him for next match.In that case they should bring sai sudarshan/eswaran not a middle order batter for a crucial match.

 

[Mockingbird]

Will Anderson be rested for this match? He looked kinda cooked in the 2nd innings at Rajkot. Plus the next match is at Dharamahala where his services will be needed more.

 

[sindhiboy]

England need to win the toss and bat first, batting first gives a big advantage. The quality of the indian bowlers is too much for them to allow england to chase

 

[Justcrazy]

In all three tests England batted poorly in first Innings , they were lucky to win the first. In India first innings counts a lot.

 

[jnaveen1980]

In all three tests England batted poorly in first Innings , they were lucky to win the first. In India first innings counts a lot.

True. You cannot be reckless in the first innings and try to catch up in the 2nd innings. Indian team itself was reckless in the first innings of first test. India was well on course to score 600 runs. Gifted wickets to long hops and half trackers.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Bumrah's rest is probably needed as there is very little gap between 3rd and 4th test. Weather was very hot in the 3rd Test. But hope they don't go back to that Mukesh trundler.

 

[Savak]

England are done for in this series. India now have the answers for their Bazball tactics.

 

[MP2011]

Lol, Rahul is out of 4th test too, with uncertainty looming over his participation in the 5th test too.

 

[MP2011]

See all these prima donnas (including biggest of them all, Kohli) firing on all cylinders during IPL.

 

[MP2011]

England need to win the toss and bat first, batting first gives a big advantage. The quality of the indian bowlers is too much for them to allow england to chase

Even when they batted first in the first test, they nearly lost that test. Had conceded a lead of 192 in the first innings itself.

So no, winning toss won't necessarily help them.

 

[WengerOut]

"The decision to give Bumrah a break has been made keeping his workload in mind - he's bowled 80.5 overs in the first three Tests - with an IPL season coming up followed closely by the 2024 T20 World Cup beginning on June 1. "


Just WOW... He bowled 80 overs in 1 month and now rested with series on the line.Quintessential Prima Donnas.

 

[MP2011]

Playing each and every game of IPL, including the inconsequential games is far more important for these prima donnas rather than playing test cricket for their country against a top test playing nation.

 

[MP2011]

Bumrah's rest is probably needed as there is very little gap between 3rd and 4th test. Weather was very hot in the 3rd Test. But hope they don't go back to that Mukesh trundler.

Would he ever take rest during IPL too? Your guess is as good as mine.

 

[Statpadder Inc]

Indian players will skip important tests, play like gods in the ipl and then inevitably fail in the wc

 

[jnaveen1980]

I am speechless. England's 12th man has returned. Mukesh kumar.

 

[James]

Bumrah being rested is a big psychological boost for England there is no doubt about that, the anticipation of his spells as much as his spells themselves have been scrambling the brains of the likes of Root and Bairstow. But England are still right up against it in terms of the series. So let’s see what happens in the next game.

 

[James]

I am speechless. England's 12th man has returned. Mukesh kumar.

Agent Mukesh

 

[jnaveen1980]

Agent Mukesh

This guy is not even good for any format. Somehow mysteriously backed for all three formats.

 

[Cover Drive Six]

I am speechless. England's 12th man has returned. Mukesh kumar.

Do you know what he did during the small break? He went back to Ranji and played one match, took10 wickets.

 

[jnaveen1980]

It is frustrating and helpless to watch this diabolical selection. I thought this guy was gone for good after 2nd Test. Hope DUckett and Crawley smash him to all parts.

 

[JattMaula]

Lol, Rahul is out of 4th test too, with uncertainty looming over his participation in the 5th test too.

Upar Wala Jab Bhi Deta Hai, Chhapar Phaad Ke Deta Hai!

 

[kron]

Bumrah's rest is probably needed as there is very little gap between 3rd and 4th test. Weather was very hot in the 3rd Test. But hope they don't go back to that Mukesh trundler.

He bowled barely 20 overs last game. 10 days rest. Does he really need rest?

Although he did carry the workload of useless kumar and siraj in the first 2 tests. Siraj back in form now. I think he should play.

 

[kron]

"The decision to give Bumrah a break has been made keeping his workload in mind - he's bowled 80.5 overs in the first three Tests - with an IPL season coming up followed closely by the 2024 T20 World Cup beginning on June 1. "


Just WOW... He bowled 80 overs in 1 month and now rested with series on the line.Quintessential Prima Donnas.

Yes. I mean sure he is a great bowler. No denying that. But too much rest is worse for a premium bowler. They are going overboard lmao

 

[kron]

Do you know what he did during the small break? He went back to Ranji and played one match, took10 wickets.

Yea selectors opinion will get swayed by such things lol unfortunately

 

[kron]

Rahul not playing is good for India. They would win now. He is a serial loser. Negative timid player. Although definitely better than patidar

 

[jnaveen1980]

He bowled barely 20 overs last game. 10 days rest. Does he really need rest?

Although he did carry the workload of useless kumar and siraj in the first 2 tests. Siraj back in form now. I think he should play.

I will make an exception for Bumrah due to his action also injury history. If he had an easy smooth action like Ishant he could play all 5 tests.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Do you know what he did during the small break? He went back to Ranji and played one match, took10 wickets.

What kind of a team that would lose 10 wickets to this guy

 

[Rajdeep]

With respect to my dear Indian friends, I am supporting England in this test.

The reason being -
a) I am British
b) Want an exciting 5th test match and not dead rubber

Cricket in this country will get massive attention if England can somehow win in India.

 

[kron]

With respect to my dear Indian friends, I am supporting England in this test.

The reason being -
a) I am British
b) Want an exciting 5th test match and not dead rubber

Cricket in this country will get massive attention if England can somehow win in India.

i wouldnt mind seeing england compete and win if they dint whinge so much. but no thanks
hopefully India pummel them. stokes i really like him but he whines too much.
always excuses
everytime

rohit i have never seen him make excuses if the pitch is tough for example or if decisions dint go their way.

 

[Champ_Pal]

Will it be mukesh?

I would take a 40 yr old Jhulan Goswami over him.

 

[Ab Fan]

KL Rahul should not be considered any longer for a place in Indian squad. 75% of the time he is injured and the rest 25% when he plays, he will perform only once out of five.

What is the point investing on a player who will perform 5% in a year?

 

[Ab Fan]

With respect to my dear Indian friends, I am supporting England in this test.

The reason being -
a) I am British
b) Want an exciting 5th test match and not dead rubber

Cricket in this country will get massive attention if England can somehow win in India.

Ranchi Test is advantage India as the pitches will be drier. If it is a rank turner, it can go either way.

Dharamshala has temperature between 5-10°C. It will be cold and the early morning will assist the pacers a lot. That game is England's best chance to win a match. Even the first test, which happened in Hyderabad had temperature above 20°C.

 

[Ab Fan]

If your main fast bowler is resting when a test series is in the line just to rest him, maybe he should retire. What is the point of playing tests if not for results?

Anderson, Wood and Siraj all rested for one game. Bumrah's time has come now to rest. He played Rajkot for the same reason, we were 1-1. Now, we are 2-1 and we need Bumrah in colder conditions of Dharamshala.

 

[kron]

Ranchi Test is advantage India as the pitches will be drier. If it is a rank turner, it can go either way.

Dharamshala has temperature between 5-10°C. It will be cold and the early morning will assist the pacers a lot. That game is England's best chance to win a match. Even the first test, which happened in Hyderabad had temperature above 20°C.

England has zero chance in dharmashala. India don't lose there apparently. Indian seamers are also much better. Oh wait no shami but even then it's still better.

 

[BouncerGuy]

I would take a 40 yr old Jhulan Goswami over him.

hahaha... I guess Mukesh has no fans here. he is not welcomed int he team and rightly so, He looks like a dead man bowling and a snake without teeth. No venom at all in his bowling.

 

[MANU ROY]

I would take a 40 yr old Jhulan Goswami over him.

And believe me Dinda was much bowler than Mukesh

 

[WengerOut]

Indian TM is on a mission to make all those Dindas, Kumars, Kuruvillas and Unadkats better bowlers on retrospection by selecting Mukesh.

 

[MANU ROY]

Lol, Rahul is out of 4th test too, with uncertainty looming over his participation in the 5th test too.

Can try padikkal he won't be bad as patidar

 

[MANU ROY]

What kind of a team that would lose 10 wickets to this guy

Bihar they so bad as a team

 

[Devadwal]

Rohit (C)
Jaiswal
Gill
Sarfaraz
Jadeja
Paddikal
Jurel ( Wk)
Ashwin
Axar ( Assuming Bumraj not play so no point of playing Mukesh Kumar)
Kuldeep
Siraj

This should be playing 11 for Ranchi test but knowing Dravid he will play Patidar at 4 and Mumesh Kumar in place of Bumrah

 

[MANU ROY]

Rohit (C)
Jaiswal
Gill
Sarfaraz
Jadeja
Paddikal
Jurel ( Wk)
Ashwin
Axar ( Assuming Bumraj not play so no point of playing Mukesh Kumar)
Kuldeep
Siraj

This should be playing 11 for Ranchi test but knowing Dravid he will play Patidar at 4 and Mumesh Kumar in place of Bumrah

He will do everything to help England to win because dravid is so generous

 

[Vikram1989]

Am not sure about paddikkal,he used to bog down against the bouncers

 

[MANU ROY]

Am not sure about paddikkal,he used to bog down against the bouncers

Give him chance. Before Sarfraz get debut some people say he struggle against fast bowler in ipl and we all see how well bat, ipl is circus patidar score a 100 in eliminator and we all see how he batted

 

[BouncerGuy]

Every chance Ben Stokes will bowl - Ollie Pope

There is "every chance" England captain Ben Stokes will bowl in the fourth Test against India in Ranchi, according to vice-captain Ollie Pope.

Stokes has not bowled competitively since the second Ashes Test in July and had knee surgery in November.

The 32-year-old bowled in the nets on Wednesday as England, who are 2-1 down, prepare for Friday's fourth Test.

"He will see how he pulls up tomorrow," Pope told BBC Sport. "If he's not too sore, that's a positive sign."

Stokes has been hampered by a left knee issue for some time and despite efforts to get fully fit for the Ashes, he did not bowl in the last three Tests then not at all in the 50-over World Cup in the autumn.

His operation in November involved removing bone spur and stitches in his meniscus.

Stokes initially ruled out bowling on this tour, saying he had made a "pinky promise" to the England physio.

But after England's defeat in the third Test, the Durham man opened the door to the possibility of taking the ball in the final two Tests, saying he had been able to bowl at "100%" in training.

On Wednesday, Stokes bowled at batters in the nets for the first time since his surgery, then had a long conversation with team doctor Glen Rae.

"He didn't want to put himself under too much pressure early by saying he's going to be bowling, so he's played it day by day with how his knee is feeling," said Pope.

"I think he's been impressed by how his knee has been going.

"He's had a good bowl against our batters. We know what he's like, he's got that competitive edge. There's every chance he'll bowl, but he's not confirmed it yet."

If Stokes is able to bowl, it will provide England with a huge boost as they bid to avoid a first series defeat under his captaincy.

Stokes is three wickets shy of becoming only the third man in Test cricket - after Jacques Kallis and Sir Garfield Sobers - to do the double of 6,000 runs and 200 wickets.

His availability as a bowler would aid the balance of the team, with the Ranchi pitch suggesting England could revert to three frontline spinners in their XI.

Pace bowlers James Anderson and Mark Wood are likely to sit out following their workload in the 434-run defeat in the third Test, so off-spinner Shoaib Bashir could to be recalled to join leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed and left-armer Tom Hartley.

Ollie Robinson may play for the first time since the third Ashes Test as the sole seamer, supplemented by whatever Stokes is able to bowl.

Pope described the Ranchi pitch as "interesting", with one side of the surface already cracked two days before the Test.

"It does look slightly different on one side of the wicket to the other," said batter Pope.

"The cracks in the wicket aren't just cracks, there are separate bits of ground that could open up with a lot of sun on them. The ball could deviate more off them if they open up like we expect them to."

BBC

 

[FearlessRoar]

England's vice-captain Ollie Pope has stood firm, backing the team's game plan ahead of the crucial fourth Test in Ranchi.Pope affirmed during a pre-match press conference in Ranchi:

"He is going to be a miss for them but it doesn’t change the way we go about. Mohammed Siraj bowled well in the last game too, picked four wickets. We are not going to change how we play. There would still be reverse swing and there are still other guys."

"It was disappointing how we played on last two days in Rajkot but we have left it there. The vibe in the group is very good. Guys are fresh and ready to go again. We left the ground frustrated. Disappointing in the way we didn't execute our plans. Nothing wrong with the way. In India, it's about fine margins."

"Looks like a very interesting pitch. Plenty of platy cracks, one half is good. The other half has flaky cracks, look like. Not a very belter kind of surface. So let’s see what happens when India have a look at it later in the day. Every chance India can play an extra spinner - Axar Patel definitely an option for them. They have watered the pitch so potentially an extra spinner could be seen from India."

 

[Amjid Javed]

England need to drop tandoori duck aka bairstow. He's gone back to being a tail ender with bat. Yes Dan lawerence is back up, but England can't keep playing with 10 men

 

[RyanRyan10]

Reports are saying aksh deep
Not arshdeep. Aksh deep. Other contenders are Mukesh kumar and siraj as a Lone bowler with 4 spinners. So sundar or axar to come in too

Akash Deep is his name

Akshdeep is a middle order batsman, who is very less likely to play for India.

 

[RyanRyan10]

hahaha... I guess Mukesh has no fans here. he is not welcomed int he team and rightly so, He looks like a dead man bowling and a snake without teeth. No venom at all in his bowling.

Lacks discipline too. Bowls too many no balls and wides.

 

[Vikram1989]

As per cricinfo, pitch is completely dry.even then imdia will have all dead weights patidar,mukesh .No fourth spinner in place of Mukesh or patidar. As per the highly smart team management analysis, mukesh have done nothing wrong in vizag and he is expectedto exploit reverse swing. I don't know how even such a brainless management in to that position.

 

[FearlessRoar]

As per reports, Bengal fast bowler Akash Deep, 27, is likely to make his Test debut during fourth Test against England in Ranchi which starts on Friday. Akash is set to play in place of Jasprit Bumrah, who has been released for the game to manage his workload.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Spin-friendly pitches will give an advantage to India with serious weapons such as Ashwin and Jadeja. Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed have not proved themselves as reliable spin bowlers yet.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1760347759427703109

 

[gibsyhesperis]

Spin-friendly pitches will give an advantage to India with serious weapons such as Ashwin and Jadeja. Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed have not proved themselves as reliable spin bowlers yet.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1760347759427703109

Actually the complete opposite — spin friendly pitches give the inferior English spinners a chance.
A flattish deck would mean the Indian batters would destroy the English spinners and the Indian spinners, who are world class, would still be impactful.
india should play on good wickets — there class will overpower England as show in the last Test.
Good wicket and they won by 400 runs with Jadeja taking a fiver-fer

 

[James]

It will be the second gift wrapped offering to England (after the resting of Bumrah) if the pitch is spin friendly. The pitch that spun the most in the series so far was the first one, which in the final innings turned Tom Hartley from a debutant county dobbler into someone who suddenly looked like a world class off spinner with 50 Tests under his belt.

If it’s a bowling friendly pitch, I think the idea from England of replacing Wood and Anderson with Lawrence and Robinson is a really good one. Whereas I would go for Robinson and Atkinson if it’s going to be a good batting pitch. Then in the final Test, Anderson would return.

 

[Vikram1989]

It will be the second gift wrapped offering to England (after the resting of Bumrah) if the pitch is spin friendly. The pitch that spun the most in the series so far was the first one, which in the final innings turned Tom Hartley from a debutant county dobbler into someone who suddenly looked like a world class off spinner with 50 Tests under his belt.

If it’s a bowling friendly pitch, I think the idea from England of replacing Wood and Anderson with Lawrence and Robinson is a really good one. Whereas I would go for Robinson and Atkinson if it’s going to be a good batting pitch. Then in the final Test, Anderson would return.

I think india may score 200 in first innings but I don't think eng will cross 125 .They will try to prove bazball effectiveness and may lost a clutter like last match 2nd innings. It was 50/7.eng players were completely looked hapless on that pitch.

 

[jnaveen1980]

History says all the mediocre spinners become legends on rank turners. O keefe, Dom bess, Kuneman, Todd Murphy, Hartley. Hope India doesn't trap themselves.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

No chance for England on Ranchi's wicket.