IND vs ENG 2021: 3 player battles to watch out for in the fourth Test as India look eye comeback
India's torrid innings and 76-run defeat to England in the third of the five-match Test series will have them hungry to make a resounding comeback in the fourth Test at Kennington Oval starting Thursday (September 2).
While much of the talk ahead of the match will center on India's changes to playing XI, the inclusion of Mark Wood and Chris Woakes, there will also be chatter about player battles.
Ahead of the fourth Test, we take a look at some of the key player battles to look for.
#1 Rohit Sharma vs Ollie Robinson
Robinson has had a ball in the ongoing series and will be happy to have claimed an in-form and settled-looking Rohit Sharma twice in three Tests.
Robinson heads into the upcoming skirmish with 16 wickets (he is the leading wicket-taker in the series so far) while Sharma, with 230 runs under his belt at an average of 43.00 for India, will look to get the better of the pacer.
#2 Joe Root vs Jasprit Bumrah
Pit England's finest batsman against one of India's best bowlers, and a cracking contest is assured. Joe Root has been in the form of his life with scores of 64, 109, 180* and 121, while Jasprit Bumrah has 14 wickets to his name so far in the series.
He has managed to get the wicket of the England captain thrice in all of their encounters so far and their clash will make for a spicy contest.
#3 India skipper Virat Kohli vs James Anderson
Kohli and Anderson have had epic rivalries in the series in the past. After a disaster 2014 series for the batsman, he got the better of Anderson in the series in 2016 and 2018, only to stutter against the seamer again.
With that 55 in the second innings of the third Test, Kohli will be a lot more confident against Anderson, who has 13 wickets in the series so far. Kohli, on the other hand, has managed 124 runs from five innings at an average of 24.80.