England team hit by illness
Joe Root on Wednesday revealed that an illness hit the touring party earlier this week but all members of the squad trained ahead of the fourth Test against India in Ahmedabad and are available for selection.
The English captain did not specify the nature of the illness but said he has a full squad to choose from.
Crawley expects batting to get easier in 4th Test with use of red ball
"It depends on the pitch obviously, but I do think that it will be slightly easier. I felt that the pink ball was a bit harder (to play) and that ball skidded on quite quickly, which is why Axar got so many wickets through leg before and bowled," said Crawley ahead of 4th Test.
Joe Root on Wednesday said the pitch for the fourth and final Test against India looks very similar to the one on which his team was decimated in the third game but the visitors have learnt their lessons to be ready for the challenge.
Click here to read what the England skipper said ahead of the fourth Test
“There is always too much noise and too much conversation about spin tracks. I am sure if our media is in a space to contradict those views or present views which say that it is unfair to criticise only spin tracks, then it will be a balanced conversation.”
India skipper Virat Kohli ahead of the fourth Test.
It seems that the pitch talk won't die soon. And as we enter Motera for the fourth Test, the spotlight will be on the 22 yards, again. The ball will change and so will the timings. Going by the words of England wicket-keeper batsman Ben Foakes, it seems like a track similar to the third Test is on the cards.
Will India spin their way to the WTC final? Or will England turnaround their fortunes against spin? It seems a gargantuan task for England to take those two steps forward, but not impossible.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the fourth and final Test between India and England, hosted at the same venue as the third match, i.e. the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad. India have their noses ahead in the series, bouncing back from a 227-run loss in the series opener by outplaying the Joe Root-led visitors in the next two games, thereby putting paid to their chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship final. While even a draw will be enough for them to qualify for the summit clash against New Zealand at Lord's later this summer, the Virat Kohli-led side will hope to live up to their favourites billing with another solid victory. The Englishmen, on the other hand, will hope to bury the ghosts of the recent defeats and strive for victory in the series finale, which will help Australia sneak past India in the race to the WTC final.
India vs England Live Score, Live Cricket Score, 4th Test at Motera Live Updates: Follow this space for the latest update on the opening day of the fourth Test between India and England at Ahmedabad.
Preview: After the contentious two-day Test gave India a 2-1 series lead against England, the series and the World Test Championship equations are simple ahead of the fourth cricket Test at Ahmedabad.
A win or a draw for India will secure the series and a place in the Test championship final against New Zealand. A win for England would seriously complicate matters for the hosts, and help Australia..
England opened the four-Test series with a 227-run victory. India rallied to level it in Chennai with a 317-run victory and won the third Test by 10 wickets, on a spin-friendly wicket at Ahmedabad where Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin dominated.
England captain Joe Root is confident his team can level the series.
“We’ve got all the ingredients, all the pieces and all the skills to exploit and succeed in these conditions,” Root said. “It is important we harness that, have it in the front of our mind and be a bit braver actually; play with a little bit more freedom.
“It’s having that confidence to play the ball in front of you, not having the baggage from the previous delivery, not over-thinking the pitch, trying to see things for what they are. You need to be able to put pressure back on the bowlers.”
Root said the decision to go in with four seamers in the day-nighter in the third Test was an error in judgment.
“You look at the side for the last match and we got that wrong, we read the pitch wrong in terms of the way we selected the team," he said. "We didn’t envisage it would spin as much. If the pitch is anything like the last one of course Dom (Bess) would be a fantastic option on this surface.”
India has not lost two Tests in a home series since 2012, when England won.
“You look at India’s record at home in recent times and it’s incredible,” Root said. “So, for us to come away with a drawn series would be a really good achievement, especially off the back of the last two games.
“It would be a brilliant achievement to leave here 2-all. It would be a monumental effort from this group of players. So there’s loads to play for.”
India needs a series win to advance to the final and prevent a final between New Zealand and Australia.
With inputs from AP
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