With the India vs England T20I series finely poised, the fourth match in Pune promises to be a crucial encounter. Holding a 2-1 lead, Team India will look to seal the series with a win, while England will be desperate to level the score and take the series to a decider in Mumbai. England’s biggest worry has been their batting as they have never really found the rhythm in this series.
However, their bowlers have saved them in most of the matches, especially the last one in Rajkot. India, on the other hand, is looking for much stronger contributions from their top order. Sanju Samson is yet to make a big score, and the short-ball tactic seems to be disturbing him, whereas skipper Suryakumar Yadav hasn’t fired till now.
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It will be a high-scoring contest as conditions in Pune have been as like last year’s IPL games witnessed when totals over 200 were very common. But if bowling is below-par then it will be due to the disciplined approach rather than any kind of help from the deck.
This is set to be a real battle for both teams that are hungry to win. India will look forward to sealing the series on Friday, but England will not take it lying down.
India
Rinku Singh is available and ready for selection, as confirmed by India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate. The left-hander was seen batting extensively in the nets, hinting at a potential return to the XI. If he plays, India might have to leave out Dhruv Jurel. India’s spin-heavy attack—featuring Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, and Abhishek Sharma—worked well in the last game, with only two pacers, Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya, in the mix. A similar approach is expected in the upcoming match.
Probable XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy
England
England haven’t named their XI yet, but they’re likely to stick with the winning combination from Rajkot unless forced to make a change. There are concerns over Jamie Smith’s fitness, and if ruled out, Jacob Bethell could replace him. England’s pace trio—Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, and Brydon Carse—has been effective, while Adil Rashid remains their trump card with his experience and control.
Probable XI: Ben Duckett, Philip Salt (wk), Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
Fantasy XI Suggestion 1:
Jos Buttler (c), Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ben Duckett, Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya (vc), Liam Livingstone, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Adil Rashid
Fantasy XI Suggestion 2:
Jos Buttler, Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Jamie Overton, Liam Livingstone, Hardik Pandya (c), Mohammed Shami, Brydon Carse (vc), Jofra Archer, Varun Chakravathy
