Following India’s loss at Lord’s by a narrow margin of 22 runs, the England team must have been very happy as they gained a 2-1 lead over the visitors. However, their happiness was cut short as the team still received a shock in the form of slipping down the World Test Championship table due to a fine for slow over rates during the clash.
This fine was imposed under Article 16.11.2 of the ICC World Test Championship playing conditions, which states that a side is penalized one point for each over short after time allowances are taken into consideration. After the Lord’s Test, England slipped down to third position in the WTC rankings. The first position is currently secured by Australia following their 3-0 victory against the West Indies.
The English team has lost a total of 22 points in their overall World Test Championship record and even missed the finals for the third consecutive time in the previous cycle. As of now, with the ongoing series against India, they have a chance to redeem themselves for their offense and recover from their third spot—if they manage to win the remaining matches without incurring a penalty.
Talking about the third Test match between India and England, it was one to remember. Both teams were at loggerheads from Day 1, with players constantly bickering with each other, mainly Zak Crawley and Mohammed Siraj. Not only that, but Siraj was also fined 15% of his match fee for an aggressive celebration against Ben Duckett. It will be interesting to see who gains the upper hand in the fourth Test.
Speculation Mounts Over India’s Playing XI for Must-Win Fourth Test in Manchester
After the heartbreaking loss to England at Lord’s in the third Test, India will aim to level the series when the two teams face each other at Old Trafford, Manchester, on July 23. The visitors are expected to field a much-changed playing XI for the fourth Test.
Rishabh Pant, who had to hand over his wicket-keeping duties to Dhruv Jurel in the third Test due to a finger injury, might also be sidelined. Karun Nair’s struggle to convert starts into big scores means he too might miss out on a spot in the playing XI for Manchester. Additionally, it has been confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah will be playing the most important 4th test.
India’s probable playing XI could feature Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul as openers, Sai Sudharsan at number three, followed by Shubman Gill, Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar. In bowling, Akash Deep, Siraj, and Bumrah are potential selections.
