IND vs ENG: 4th T20I Preview – England eye parity as hosts look to clinch the series in Pune
England will look to restore parity in the five-match series when they take on India in the fourth T20I at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Friday, January 31.
The Three Lions were blown away by India in the first T20I at Eden Gardens. However, Jos Buttler and Co. showed a lot of fight in the second T20I. Despite that, Tilak Varma’s gritty half-century helped the home side double their lead in Chennai. In the do-or-die clash in Rajkot, England managed to keep themselves afloat by beating the Men in Blue by 26 runs.
The action now shifts to Pune for the penultimate encounter. England have had their problems against Varun Chakaravarthy, and they will look to come out with better plans to counter the in-form mystery spinner. Also, Buttler would want to win the toss for the first time in the series.
Ben Duckett and Liam Livingstone were among the runs in the third T20I and England will want them to continue their good form. Meanwhile, Brydon Carse has looked in good form with the ball, having picked up five wickets from two matches at an average of 11.40. Jofra Archer has also put in a couple of impressive performances with the ball even as he has failed to control the runs.
Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma has looked in good nick at the top of the order. However, his opening partner, Sanju Samson, has not managed to replicate his last year’s form. India’s strategy has been to stuff the side with all-rounders. Dhruv Jurel batted at No. 8 in the fourth T20I. The hosts might want to add a specialist bowler to their side for the fourth T20I.
Pitch Report
In 64 T20 matches at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, 35 have been won by teams batting first while chasing teams have emerged victorious on 29 occasions. The average first innings score at the venue is 162. The captain who wins the toss would want to chase as dew could play a role.
Predicted XI: India Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy.
England: Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith (wk), Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid.
