INDIA VS. ENGLAND: ENG’S TOUR OF IND 2021, 4th T20 | MATCH PREDICTION AND FANTASY CRICKET TIPS
Hosts India take on England in the fourth match of the 5-match series at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday evening.
The chasing teams have registered comfortable victories in all three games in the series so far. After India came back strongly in the second game to square the series, England produced another clinical performance in the third match to take a 2-1 lead.
Indian batsmen had an ordinary outing and failed to make an impression in the third game. After M Wood’s pace removed the top order, a sublime unbeaten 77 by captain V Kohli enabled India to set up a decent target. On the bowling front, barring B Kumar and W Sundar, nobody could sustain the pressure on the English batsmen. Y Chahal was expensive again and S Thakur did not bowl the right lengths. D Chahar may be included in the team in the remaining two matches.
For the visitors, it was another near-perfect game. The sheer pace of the English bowlers blew India’s top order away on a slow track and never allowed them to dominate. They utilized the slowness of the pitch to great effect. Chasing a target of 156 on a tricky wicket, England made light work of it, courtesy of a special innings by J Butler and a solid knock by J Bairstow. This English batting unit has some serious firepower and it will take a special effort to stop them in the next couple of matches.
This series has been a contest of two very strong T20 sides that have been trying their best to adjust to difficult conditions. England has been the better team so far but expect India to fight back hard in this crucial game of the series on Thursday.
Match Details
- Match: India vs. England, 4th T20
- Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
- Date & Time: Mar. 18, 2020, at 7 PM IST
Probable Playing XI
India
L Rahul, R Sharma, I Kishan, V Kohli (C), R Pant (WK), S Iyer, H Pandya, W Sundar, S Thakur, Y Chahal, B Kumar
England
J Roy, J Buttler (WK), D Malan, J Bairstow, E Morgan (C), B Stokes, S Curran, A Rashid, J Archer, C Jordan, M Wood
Weather and Pitch Report
The weather is expected to be clear during the match. The temperature will be around 33 degrees during the game.
The pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium used for the third game was two-paced. Batting was not easy in the first half, especially at the start, as the ball gripped and bounced off the surface and did not come onto the bat that easily. The average first innings score in the three matches played here has been 148 runs.
Dew in the second innings will help the ball skid through the surface and the ball will come onto the bat a little better. So expect the captain winning the toss to opt to field first. The team batting first will have to put up a total of around 170 runs to have any chances of winning.
Key Players
- R Sharma didn’t look at his best playing his first match of the series. He scored a scratchy 15-run innings before being dismissed while trying to increase the scoring rate. He is one of the best batsmen in this format and will be looking to play a big innings here.
- V Kohli stormed back to form after two back-to-back ducks in the previous matches. He has scored 150 runs (77* and 73*) in the last two matches. He remains the key to India’s chances in the remainder of the series.
- Y Chahal has picked up a wicket in each of the last three matches but has gone for plenty of runs as well. He has an economy of 9.91, the highest among all the frontline bowlers in the series. He has a good record against England and will look to pick up wickets here too.
- J Butler was at his punishing best in the last game and attacked India’s best bowlers in style. He finished the chase almost single-handedly, remaining unbeaten on 83 off 52 balls. He will be full of confidence and will look to repeat the performance here.
- D Malan has threatened several times but failed to score a big one in the series so far. He has scored 66 runs at an average of 33. His last half century in this format was 11 innings earlier and he will look to get back to form in this game.
- C Jordan is the joint-highest wicket taker of the series, with 4 wickets at an average of 25. He was good in the last game, bowling plenty of different lengths with speed variation. He will look to keep the Indian batsmen guessing here as well.
Howzat Dream Team
- Wicketkeepers: R Pant, J Buttler
- Batsmen: V Kohli, R Sharma, D Malan, E Morgan
- All-rounder: W Sundar
- Bowlers: Y Chahal, S Thakur, M Wood, C Jordan
- Captain: V Kohli/R Pant
- Vice Captain: J Buttler/D Malan
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You should use your knowledge of cricket to make a fantasy prediction, select your team and play fantasy cricket matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing XI is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team playing the match.
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