IND vs ENG, 4th Test: What To Expect From The Manchester Surface? England Great Offers Detailed Insights

India will face England in the much-anticipated 4th Test match at Old Trafford in Manchester starting from July 23. Shubman Gill and Co. conceded a 22-run loss at the hands of England in the 3rd test at Lord's.

How Will Manchester Pitch Behave In 4th Test?

India came very close to taking a lead, but despite Ravindra Jadeja's heroics, they failed to get past the finishing line. Pitches in England have changed their characteristics over the last few years and have lost their juice.

Manchester used to be one of the scariest surfaces as it offered pace and bounce simultaneously. But with time, the Old Trafford pitch has witnessed drastic slowness and hasn't been the same over the last few years.

Former England fast bowler Steven Harmison feels a fresh spell of rain could breathe new life into the Manchester pitch. In an interaction with ESPN Cricinfo, he said, "Old Trafford, if it is going to rain anywhere and it hasn't rained in England for about three months, if it is going to rain anywhere, it will be Manchester as it always does. We could do with some rain because we could do with some lively surface.

“The first-class pitches in Manchester in the last 18 months or two years haven't been like they were 10 or 15 years ago. They were bouncy pitches. They were hard and aggressive with a reverse swing. They are all very similar now. They are very slow, very flat.”

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India Have Been Dealt A Double Blow Ahead of Manchester Test

India have been dealt a major blow as Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the remainder of the Test series due to a knee injury. The Indian all-rounder will fly back home in order to recover from the injury. Arshdeep Singh will also miss the 4th Test due to an injury suffered in his thumb, and he will be monitored by the medical team. Anshul Kamboj has been named as his replacement and has already joined the Indian camp in Manchester.

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