The gripping Test series between England and India continues this week at Old Trafford and the fourth Test starts at 11am on Wednesday.
England have a 2-1 lead in the five-match series following their tense 22-run victory in the third Test at Lord’s, where fast bowler Jofra Archer made an impressive return to Test cricket.
talkSPORT BET welcome offer – Get £20 in free bets*
England v India 4th Test Tips
Lord’s comeback should inspire England
England have a formidable Test record at Old Trafford, winning 14, drawing three and losing only one of their last 18 Test matches at the venue.
Australia are the only visiting team who have avoided defeat against England in Manchester during that sequence and they needed a final-day washout to escape with a draw in the 2023 Ashes series.
India’s lower-order batters showed great fight at Lord’s to restrict England’s winning margin to 22 runs but the tourists are likely to be missing fast bowler Akash Deep due to injury.
Deep starred in their victory at Edgbaston in the second Test and England, who came back from difficult positions to win at Headingley and Lord’s, can seal the series at one of their favourite venues.
India captain Shubman Gill’s runscoring spree ended with scores of 16 and six in the third Test and his players are under pressure after stumbling from 41-1 to 82-7 on their way to a dramatic defeat at Lord’s.
Root ready to rack up more runs at Old Trafford
Joe Root’s unbeaten 53 helped England chase down 371 to win the first Test at Headingley and he played an even bigger role in the victory at Lord’s last time out.
Root top-scored for England in both innings in St John’s Wood, making 104 and 40, and he should be backed to do so again at Old Trafford.
He may be a proud Yorkshireman but he clearly loves batting on the other side of the Pennines, scoring 978 runs at an average of 65.2 in his 11 Test appearances in Manchester.
Root plundered 254 against Pakistan in 2016 and his last two Test visits to Old Trafford yielded scores of 84 against Australia in 2023 and 42 and 62 not out against Sri Lanka last summer.
India opener can see off new-ball threat
Neutrals will be hoping that thrilling fast bowlers Archer and Jasprit Bumrah are both passed fit for the fourth Test.
Archer dismissed India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal cheaply in both innings at Lord’s but Jaiswal’s partner KL Rahul fared considerably better.
Rahul, who can be a devastating T20 batter, has showcased his sound defensive technique in this Test series and he batted superbly for his 100 and 39 in the third Test.
That followed scores of 42, 137, two and 55 in the first two matches of the series so Rahul is a tempting bet to score at least 29 first-innings runs at Old Trafford.
He started this tour with 116 and 51 for India A against England Lions in Northampton and four of his 10 Test centuries have been scored in England.
talkSPORT BET welcome offer – Get £20 in free bets*
All odds correct at time of writing.
*18+ New customers only. Opt in & bet £10+ via mobile on any sports at 2.00+ odds within 7 days. No Cash out. Get 4x £5 Free Bets on selected markets. Free bets expire in 7 days. Card payments & Apple Pay only. T&Cs apply, see below. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- GamCare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org