India vs England, 4th T20I: Preview, probable XIs, match prediction, live streaming, weather forecast, and pitch report
Team India take on England in the fourth T20I of the Paytm T20I series on Thursday, March 18th, at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad. This match, as well as the remainder of the series, will be played behind closed doors due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the state.
India face a tall order in the last two T20Is after losing the third T20I by eight wickets and going 2-1 down in the series. Put in to bat by England, India's top order crumbled thanks to some excellent pace bowling from Mark Wood and Chris Jordan, with KL Rahul dismissed without scoring once more. Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant steadied the ship, but the latter was run out after an unfortunate mix-up.
Kohli stood strong at one end and played some brilliant shots to take India to a decent total of 156/6, especially when you consider they were tottering at 24/3 at the end of the Powerplay.
However, England, led by Jos Buttler, came out all guns blazing and virtually finished the game off in the powerplay. Buttler remained unbeaten on 83 off 52 balls, with a healthy 40-run contribution from Jonny Bairstow. It was another clinical performance in the Powerplay, both with bat and ball that paved the way for England's win.
Both teams still have all to play for, with some more experiments and tinkering left to do. Expect another cracking encounter between these two sides on Thursday.
Match Details
Date: March 18, 2021 (Thursday).
Time: 07:00 PM (IST), 01:30 PM (GMT).
Venue: Motera Stadium, Ahmedabad.
Weather Report
It should remain warm in Ahmedabad on Matchday, with some cloud cover expected during the game. An average temperature of 34 degrees Celsius is expected.
Pitch Report
The red soil pitch played out pretty well and assisted the seamers with the new ball. There was some turn on offer as well, and there was good carry.
Predicted XIs
India
Virat Kohli's post-match conference suggested that not many changes are likely despite India's loss. Both Kohli and batting coach Vikram Rathour backed KL Rahul, and he should retain his place in the side. While the decision was hard on Suryakumar Yadav, he isn't likely to feature in this game either.
Navdeep Saini or T Natarajan could get a game in place of Shardul Thakur.
India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli (C), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur/ Navdeep Saini/ T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Yuzvendra Chahal.
England
England look to have a settled lineup, and there's no reason why they should make any changes to their team.
England: Jos Buttler (WK), Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Eoin Morgan (C), Sam Curran, Mark Wood, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, and Adil Rashid.
Match Prediction
While the toss did play a minor role in the hosts' defeat, England completely outplayed India in the third T20I. Virat Kohli's side will look to bounce back stronger and now have the resources to exploit the surface as they know how it plays. With a couple of players looking to get back to form before some important fixtures ahead, expect India to level the series.
Prediction: India to win.
TV and live streaming details
TV: Star Sports Network.
Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar VIP.