England vs India, Fourth Test: Reasons why India might or might not win the match
India's victory in the third Test meant that the fourth Test was going to decide how the series will proceed and the all-important match has already seen quite a few ups and downs in the first three days. So all we can say is that the game is perfectly poised for Day 4.
After winning the toss the home team chose to bat first but on the first day of play, the English batsmen were rattled early by the Indian bowlers. The home team were lingering at 86-6 before the young all-rounder from Surrey, Sam Curran, and Moeen Ali scripted a rescue act for the team.
The duo put together 81 and helped their side reach a decent total of 246. Batting at 8, Sam Curran became the highest run-scorer for England in the first innings with 78 runs under his belt.
In the second innings of the match, India too lost both the openers before they crossed 50 runs but the partnership between Cheteswara Pujara and Kohli steadied things for the visitors. The 92-run partnership put India in command of the game but Sam Curran picking up the wicket of the Indian captain changed the dynamics of the game,
Following Kohli's departure, Moeen Ali outclassed the Indian middle and lower middle orders to pick up five wickets leaving India in a spot of bother. Even though the wickets kept on falling at the other end that did not rattle India's No.3 batsman. The centurion stitched useful partnerships of 32 and 46 for the tenth and the eleventh wickets with Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah respectively. Pujara's 132 helped India take a lead of 27 runs in the first innings.
Unlike the first innings, two top-order English batsmen contributed to the team's total. Keaton Jennings and Joe Root contributed 36 and 48 but that wasn't enough for England to be in a commanding position.
It was again the lower order that helped England extend their lead to 233. While Ben Stokes made 30 runs, it was Jos Buttler who made the biggest difference with 69 runs. Buttler, with this innings, became the highest run-getter for England in this series with 260 runs from 7 innings.
Will lose: Sam Curran's presence in the middle
Sam Curran has been the biggest find for the English team in this series. Playing just his fourth Test match, the youngest Curran brother has been performing outstandingly with the ball and especially with the bat.
The 20-year old is the second highest run-scorer for England in this series playing two innings less than the rest of the batsmen. He might as well become the leading scorer if he gets 18 more runs on Day 4. With the lead already being 233, few quick runs from the southpaw can take the game away from the visitors.