Since taking over as India’s new Test skipper, Shubman Gill hasn’t won a single toss, and Manchester was no different.
But it’s not just a Gill thing. He’s now part of a bigger (and bizarre) trend. India has now lost 14 consecutive tosses in international cricket. Now that’s what you call carrying forward a legacy, just not the one you’d want.
But maybe, just maybe, losing the toss in Manchester isn’t such a bad thing after all. Yes, there’s a silver lining. No team has ever won a Test match at Old Trafford after winning the toss and choosing to bowl first. Every such decision has ended in either a draw or a defeat.
So, is this curse about to haunt Ben Stokes too? Indian fans will definitely be hoping so.
India made 3 changes to their playing XI for the 4th Test vs England. Karun Nair's long rope finally ended as he was replaced by Sai Sudharsan, who was dropped after just one failure in the first Test.
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njuries resulted in two other 2 changes in the India playing XI as Arshdeep Singh and Nitish Kumar Reddy had to miss the Test. While Anshul Kamboj received his maiden Test cap, Shardul Thakur too made a comeback. Once again, there was no place for Kuldeep Yadav.
Despite being the better team in most sessions, Team India went down in the 1st Test but made a strong comeback in Birmingham to level the series. However, they missed a golden opportunity to go up 2-1 in the series as India failed to chase down 193 in the 3rd Test. Gill's men suffered a heartbreak and lost the game by just 22 runs and now trail 2-1 in the 5-match Test series.
Team India playing XI for the 4th Test vs England in Manchester:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan (In for Karun Nair), Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur (In for Nitish Kumar Reddy), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Anshul Kamboj (On Test debut)