The fourth Test between England and India in the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is set to commence on July 23 at Old Trafford, Manchester. With England leading the series 2-1, this match is crucial for India to level the series. The contest has been intense, marked by fiery exchanges and strategic battles.
Test of the five-match Anderson‑Tendulkar Trophy takes place from 23–27 July 2025 at Old Trafford, Manchester. England currently trail 2–1, following a hard-fought 22‑run win at Lord’s, and India must win to level the series. For England, a win seals the series; for India, it’s a must-win to reach a dramatic finale in the fifth Test.
Historical
Edge at Old Trafford
India have never won
at Old Trafford in nine Test visits—enduring four defeats and five draws.
England, by contrast, are historically
dominant here, with 14 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss in their last 18 Tests.
Yet India’s previous breakthrough at Edgbaston signals the
potential to rewrite history.
Weather & Pitch Outlook
Manchester’s unpredictable weather:
·
Day 1: ~65% chance of rain; Day 2:
~85% precipitation; lighter showers expected later in the Test This means initial sessions may favor
seamers under overcast skies, before drying out later on.
Pitch characteristics:
Pitch characteristics:
· Historically known for pace and bounce, but recent games show it has become slower and flatter.
·
With
weather delays and moisture, pacers can still extract movement early, while
spin could become crucial later in the match.
Team News: India
·
Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Nitish Kumar Reddy are
all ruled out.
· Anshul Kamboj, uncapped, is expected to debut, with Prasidh Krishna competing for the final pace slot
·
· Jasprit Bumrah returns,
bringing much-needed strike power.
·
· Rishabh Pant is also fit to
resume as keeper.
·
· Karun Nair retains his
place, despite criticism, backed by captain Shubman Gill.
Probable India XI:
1.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
2.
KL Rahul
3.
Sai Sudharsan
/ Abhimanyu Easwaran
4.
Shubman Gill
(c)
5.
Karun Nair
6.
Rishabh Pant
(wk)
7.
Ravindra Jadeja
8.
Washington
Sundar / Kuldeep Yadav
9.
Shardul Thakur
10. Jasprit Bumrah
11. Mohammed Siraj
12. Anshul Kamboj / Prasidh Krishna
🧭 Team News: England
·
England
bring back Liam Dawson in place of injured Shoaib Bashir.
·
The experienced lineup includes Crawley, Duckett, Pope, Root,
Brook, Stokes (c), Smith (wk), Woakes, Carse, Archer + Dawson.
Confirmed England XI:
1.
Zak Crawley
2.
Ben Duckett
3.
Ollie Pope
4.
Joe Root
5.
Harry Brook
6.
Ben Stokes
(c)
7.
Jamie Smith
(wk)
8.
Liam Dawson
9.
Chris Woakes
10. Brydon Carse
11. Jofra Archer
.jpg "England vs India 4th Test 2025 at Old Trafford: Full Preview, XIs & Key Battles ")
Key Battles to Watch
1.
Shubman Gill vs Brydon Carse
Gill leads this series with 607 runs at 101.16, but Carse has
dismissed him twice already.
2.
Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Jofra Archer
Jaiswal has shown attack, yet Archer removed him once at
Lord’s; this contest may set India's tone.
3.
Harry Brook vs Jasprit Bumrah
Brook averages 52.33 with 314 runs this series; Bumrah has
captured 12 wickets at 21 apiece and dismissed Brook.
4.
Jasprit Bumrah vs Joe Root
Root has been England’s best at Old Trafford (avg 65.2)
and key performer after Lord’s. Bumrah will aim to
break that.
5.
Spin vs Pace – Role
Reversal
With moisture early, England’s seamers Che Carse, Archer,
Woakes will shine. Later, Dawson’s spin and India’s Jadeja/Sundar or Kuldeep
will vie for control.
🔢
Historical & Statistical Insights
·
Head-to-head:
England 53 wins, India 36, Draws 50 across 139 Tests.
· Old Trafford: India have 0 wins, held 5 draws, lost 4, giving hosts psychological edge
🎙️
Tensions & Mental Factor
·
Post
Lord’s, tensions have flared – time-wasting drama, emotional sledging —
reflecting the stakes.
·
England
coach McCullum and Brook say this team needed to “stop being too nice” and play
with aggression.
· Ex-spinners like Monty Panesar warn India: lapses will be ruthlessly punished
What India Must Do to Win
1.
Fast starts: Utilize early
moisture via seamers Kamboj/Bumrah/Siraj to dent England’s top order.
2.
Anchor innings: Gill and
Jaiswal must build long partnerships.
3.
Pressurize England’s lower middle order via disciplined spin.
4.
Maintain discipline: Reduce over-rate breaches and sledging fallout; stay mentally
strong under pressure.
Wrap-Up Insights
·
A do-or-die match: India
must win to stay alive; England aim to clinch the series.
·
Old Trafford dynamic: Weather could favor pace early,
but spin may have the last word as the Test ages.
·
Key match-ups: Gill vs Carse, Brook vs Bumrah, and Root
vs Indian pace will heavily influence momentum.
· Psychological edge: England’s aggressive posture vs India’s resolve will shape performances under pressure.
Team India: Injury Woes and
Selection Dilemmas
India faces significant
injury challenges ahead of the fourth Test:
Akash Deep is ruled out due to a groin injury.
·
Nitish Kumar Reddy and Arshdeep Singh are also sidelined.
· Anshul Kamboj is likely to debut, with Prasidh Krishna also in contention for a spot in the playing XI.
Match Overview
·
Series: Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy
2025
·
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester
·
Dates: July 23–27, 2025
·
Start Time: 11:00 AM Local / 3:30 PM
IST
· Live Streaming: JioHotstar and Sony Sports Network
1. WTC Mathematics: 12‑Point Swing on the Line
The Lord’s result shuffled the WTC standings: England (PCT 66.67) sit third, while India have slipped to fourth on 33.33 PCT after two defeats in three Tests . A win at Old Trafford would catapult England to 78 PCT—overtaking Sri Lanka—whereas India would claw back to an even 50 PCT, leap‑frogging their hosts. Conversely, another loss could leave India closer to Bangladesh than the top three and may require near‑perfect results in their remaining six Tests this cycle. That arithmetic explains Ben Stokes’ fury after England were docked two points for a slow over rate at Lord’s, a sanction he calls “outdated and unfair”
2. Weather & Pitch Nuances: Patience Is a Virtue
Old Trafford’s July forecast is as fickle as
ever—65 % rain probability on Day 1 rising to 85 % on Day 2 before clearing
late in the match. Early moisture, overcast skies, and a surface that former
quick Steve Harmison now labels “sluggish” hint at a two‑phase contest: new‑ball
nip for seamers, then painstaking grind for batters and eventual turn for
spinners as foot‑marks open up Teams that resist the
instinct to over‑attack on a slow pitch often prevail here—England have won
three of their last four Old Trafford Tests by batting long in the first
innings to create scoreboard pressure.
3. Milestone Watch & Personal Sub‑plots
* KL Rahul
needs 60 runs for 9,000 international runs; the right‑hander averages 47.4 in
Manchester across formats after a 149 in the 2018 ODI, suggesting he enjoys
English northwest conditions.
* Harry Brook vs Jasprit Bumrah
remains a pivotal micro‑battle: Brook has just 15 Test runs off Bumrah this
series at 39.5 SR and one dismissal, showing that India’s spearhead still has
the measure of England’s middle‑order aggressor.
* Liam Dawson, recalled after
eight years, boasts 33 First‑Class wickets at 21.9 this season, offering
England a holding spinner who lengthens their batting.
* Anshul Kamboj could become the
312th Test cricketer for India, drafted in after the pace injury crisis;
coaches rate his repeatable action and ability to bowl the “heavy ball”—a trait
on which Bumrah once built his legend.
4. Tactical Flashpoints
1.
New‑Ball Overs: Since 2021, 28 % of Old Trafford wickets
have fallen in the first 12 overs of an innings—the highest share among English
venues; managing that danger period is non‑negotiable.
2.
Left‑Arm Spin vs Right‑Handers: The deteriorating
surface brings Ravindra Jadeja and Dawson into play; right‑handers average 27.4
against left‑arm orthodox spin here since 2016, compared with 34.8 against off‑spin.
3.
Over‑Rate Discipline: With the ICC deducting one WTC
point per slow over, captains may sacrifice an over of pace for a spell of
quick Jadeja darts or Brook’s part‑time off‑spin to keep the clock honest.
5. Atmosphere & Off‑Field Drama
Tickets for the first three days sold out in
48 hours—a Lancashire record for a non‑Ashes Test—reflecting heightened
interest after the Lord’s theatrics India’s players
spent a rest day mingling with Manchester United stars at Carrington, a PR
masterstroke that dominated social media feeds and underlined cricket’s
broadening cultural footprint Meanwhile, Mark
Ramprakash’s Guardian column lauded the “box‑office rivalry” yet warned that
both sides flirted with the spirit of cricket in the third Test; Shubman Gill
countered that England’s tactics crossed a line, ensuring a touchy handshake at
the toss.
6. What a Win Means for Legacy
England last sealed a home series versus India in 2018; doing so again would validate the McCullum‑Stokes all‑out‑attack ethos despite injury upheavals. For India, victory would break an 89‑year winless hoodoo at Old Trafford and keep alive dreams of a first Test series win in England since 2021, imbuing Gill’s embryonic captaincy with instant credibility. More subtly, the outcome will shape each side’s WTC road map—lose here and India must chase near-perfection on home turf against South Africa and in Caribbean tours; win here and they seize control of their destiny, a prize worth every tense minute under Manchester’s moody skies.