India vs England, 4th Test: Ben Stokes elects to bat
India eye a series win as they take on England in the fourth and penultimate Test of the series. England's approach will be to watch out for after two thumping defeats. Meanwhile, seamer Akash Deep has received his maiden Test cap. He becomes the 313th player to play Test cricket for India. England captain Ben Stokes has won the toss and elected to bat.
Presenting the line-ups
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj. England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (captain), Ben Foakes (wicket-keeper), Tom Hartley, Ollie Robinson, Shoaib Bashir, and James Anderson.
Akash makes his debut; England draft Robinson, Bashir
While KL Rahul continues to be unavailable, Jasprit Bumrah, the leading wicket-taker of the ongoing series, has been rested. As a result, Akash Deep makes his debut for Team India. He has taken over 100 wickets in First-Class cricket and averages 23.58 in this regard. On the other hand, England have roped in pacer Ollie Robinson and spinner Shoaib Bashir.
Venue, pitch report, and streaming details
The JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi will host the fourth Test, starting on February 23. As per England batter Ollie Pope, batters can have a hard time due to the cracks on the surface. Spinners can hence play a major part. Sports18 Network will telecast the match while fans can live stream the proceedings on Jio Cinema from 9:30 AM IST.
Here's the head-to-head record
India and England have featured in 134 Tests. The Three Lions have the advantage with 51 victories in comparison to India's 33 triumphs. 50 matches have ended in a draw. England lost their last two Test series in India but were the last ones who defeated India at home in 2012. England have won 15 out of 67 Tests in India (24 defeats).
A look at the key players
Ravindra Jadeja has been at his all-round best in this series, having recorded 201 runs and 12 wickets. Yashasvi Jaiswal, having scored two double-centuries, has scored the most runs in the series (545 runs at 109). Ben Duckett and Pope have been the standout batters for England with 288 and 285 runs respectively. Tom Hartley has claimed 16 wickets at 33.19.