India tour of England 2025 | Fourth Test | Preview and Predictions

England defended a low total at Lord’s to take the lead in the Test series as India imploded chasing 192. Moving to Emirates Old Trafford, India need to win to keep the series alive, while England have a chance to seal the series win.

Ahead of the fourth Test between England and India, here are our match preview and predictions.

India tour of England 2025 | 4th Test | 15:30 IST, July 23–27

India come into the fourth Test not only on the back foot, but also amid an injury crisis, with Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, and Akash Deep ruled out. While Reddy has been ruled out for the remainder of the series, the two mainline pacers are set to at least miss the fourth Test, leaving the Men in Blue in dire need of strengthening their pace attack; they have Prasidh Krishna in the reserves, who might return to the playing XI. Manchester has also been helpful to the spinners, which means India might bring in Kuldeep Yadav into the mix and go ahead with three spinners and two pacers. 

Bowling won’t be the biggest worry for Shubman Gill and the management, though, as it was their batting unit which failed at Lord’s. A chase of 192 on the final day was always going to favour the batting team, but barring KL Rahul and a heroic attempt from Ravindra Jadeja, India failed to step up when needed. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s shot selection will be under the spotlight once again, while Rishabh Pant’s fitness will also be a big worry for the Indian camp.

The hosts, meanwhile, had their captain step up when they needed him most. Ben Stokes led from the front with both bat and ball, while Joe Root finally got some runs in the series with a sublime century. And while it wasn’t a high-scoring Test, Root’s 40 in the second innings along with a fighting 33 from Stokes turned out to be crucial contributions in the end.

With the ball, Chris Woakes troubled the Indian top order with the new ball, while it was the returning Jofra Archer who caused all sorts of trouble with his sheer pace. England have a strong third pacer in Brydon Carse, whose knock of 51 in the first innings was also crucial in them putting up a respectable total.

The Manchester surface will likely see more runs scored than the Lord’s strip, while also being helpful for the slower bowlers and spinners. An injury-hit India will once again start on the back foot, as we expect the hosts to close the series in Manchester.

Fantasy XI: KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Harry Brook, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Ben Stokes, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jasprit Bumrah

Venue: Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
Winners Prediction: England