3 player battles to watch out for in India vs England 4th Test ft. Yashasvi Jaiswal vs James Anderson
India took a 2-1 lead in the ongoing Test series against England by beating the visitors in the previous game in Rajkot by a staggering 434 runs. The injury-ravaged hosts passed a test of character to complete their biggest-ever win in Tests in terms of the margin of runs.
Centuries from Rohit Sharma (131) and Ravindra Jadeja (112) ensured India scored 445 in their first innings. While Ben Duckett's 151 had England in control, they suffered a batting collapse that saw India take a massive 126-run lead.
From that point, it was all India as Yashasvi Jaiswal's double-hundred (214*) batted England out of the game and the fourth innings saw a meek surrender from the visitors.
With England without Mark Wood and India without Jasprit Bumrah for the Ranchi Test, there are other match-ups to look forward to, which have developed throughout the series. On that note, let's take a look at three such face-offs that could determine who would take the fourth Test:
#3 Ben Duckett vs Kuldeep Yadav
Ben Duckett had India under immense pressure during his sensational knock in Rajkot and is among the most in-form batters for the visitors. England desperately need him to score big once again and set them up for a huge total.
The southpaw took a liking to Kuldeep Yadav in the previous game but was also eventually dismissed by the left-arm wrist-spinner. Ducket has scored 51 runs off 46 balls against Kuldeep and has been dismissed twice, which makes for an intriguing face-off.
#2 Joe Root vs Ravindra Jadeja
With just 77 runs from six innings in the series so far, Joe Root has been under severe scrutiny, especially for the way he has been dismissed. A reverse sweep against Jasprit Bumrah that led to his dismissal was arguably the biggest turning point of the Rajkot Test.
While there's no Bumrah to haunt Root this time, he needs to be wary of another negative match-up in Ravindra Jadeja. The all-rounder is fresh off a fifer and a Player of the Match performance and will be full of confidence against an under-fire Root. Jadeja has also dismissed the star batter a staggering seven times in Tests.
#1 Yashasvi Jaiswal vs James Anderson
The blockbuster match-up of the fourth Test arguably is between India's Yashasvi Jaiswal and legendary England pacer James Anderson. The 41-year-old had dismissed the youngster twice in Visakhapatnam, but it was all Jaiswal in the match-up that unfolded in Rajkot.
Especially in the second innings, the southpaw tore into Anderson and also smashed him for three consecutive sixes in an over. With rain around in Ranchi, conditions could suit seam bowling early on, and Anderson would be keen to maximize the opportunity. Jaiswal will also not hold back he is naturally an aggressive batter.