India likely to drop 3 players for 4th Test against England at Old Trafford
India is likely to rest Bumrah and Pant and drop Karun Nair for the must-win 4th Test against England at Old Trafford.
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India’s narrow 22-run defeat to England in the third Test at Lord’s has left them staring at a must-win scenario in the five-match series. Chasing a modest target of 193, the visitors were rocked by an early collapse, losing seven wickets for just 82 runs. Ravindra Jadeja (61* off 181 balls) led a brave lower-order fightback but ultimately fell short of pulling off a famous win. The defeat gave England a 2-1 lead, and with the fourth Test set to begin on July 23 at Old Trafford, Manchester, India is expected to ring in some changes.
Jasprit Bumrah
India’s lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah might be rested for the fourth Test. Originally expected to play only three matches in the five-Test series due to workload management, Bumrah has already featured in two—both resulting in defeats for India. He was rested for the second Test, which India won convincingly. Despite his seven wickets in the third Test at Lord’s, Bumrah bowled 43 high-intensity overs, and the team management could opt to rest him again ahead of the final match.
Rishabh Pant
Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is another likely exclusion from the Old Trafford Test. The left-hander injured his index finger on his left hand while collecting a delivery from Bumrah during England’s first innings. He didn’t keep wickets for the rest of the match, with Dhruv Jurel stepping in. With a short turnaround time before the next Test and given the severity of finger injuries for keepers, Pant could be given a breather, with Jurel likely to take over behind the stumps.
See Also: Top 5 lowest totals successfully defended in a Test at Lord's ft. ENG vs IND 2025
Karun Nair
Karun Nair’s comeback to Test cricket after eight years has not gone to script. The 33-year-old has failed to convert his starts into impactful innings, registering scores of 0, 20, 31, 26, 40, and 14 across six innings. In the second innings at Lord’s, he was dismissed LBW after misjudging a delivery from Brydon Carse. With no significant scores to his name, Nair is expected to be dropped for the upcoming Test.
India will now aim to level the series in Manchester, but they may have to do it without three familiar faces.
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