Gargi Raut at Old Trafford
In the fourth Test at the Old Trafford, to their misfortune, Indian fans have only witnessed one-sided action. England are on the verge of sealing the series with a crushing win. They have a lead of 186 runs and have three wickets in hand. They have dominated in every department, out-batting, out-bowling and out-thinking a weary, listless, low on belief and undercooked Indian side.
On a pitch that was offering nothing to the Indian bowlers, Joe Root’s 150 was a technical masterclass against a captain who lacked ideas and intensity. At 544-4, it is safe to say that England have dominated every metric of this match, but there is one aspect that they cannot control, one that may finally favour India: The weather.
According to the Greater Manchester met department, rain is expected in the morning session of Day 4. Showers are predicted from the early hours of the morning till midday, and the chances of precipitation peak at 80% and the rain prediction could lead to at least one session that finally goes India’s way, even without a ball being bowled. If the first session is wiped out, India’s chances of drawing the game increase significantly. Fewer overs mean fewer opportunities for England to take 10 wickets.
- Morning Session (10:30 AM – 1:00 PM) – Rain Chance: 70–80%
- Afternoon Session (1:40 PM – 3:40 PM) – Rain Chance: 30–50%
- Evening Session (4:00 PM – 6:00 PM) – Rain Chance: 10–20%
But a draw won’t just fall into India’s lap, they will have to play smart and tactical cricket. If England choose to bat on, India must try to delay the declaration, try to slow down the over-rate and consume time in their favour; they need to burn off the clock. Ideally, England will want to declare early and India can begin their second innings with a session that has already been lost to weather, thanks to the rain. Although it has to be added that the umpires will extend the play by 1 hour in such a scenario.
But there’s still a concern with the batting. The first innings was patchy. KL Rahul has been expertly negating the new ball and has been one of the most consistent batters in the series; he is perhaps your best batter. Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Shubman Gill started off the series on a bang, but both have been on a downward slope. Meanwhile, Sai Sudarshan is only just making a comeback into the XI after being dropped for Test 3 and 4. While he has shown potential, will he be able to make a real impact? A lot will rest on the top three to blunt the new ball and wear down England’s quicks. India need to bat in small sessions, they need to go hour by hour and bat for time. England will not go easy on the Indian batters, they have consistently exploited India’s weaknesses and it will take immense mental fortitude to survive.
The rain is expected to ease out by the afternoon and the final session will surely go uninterrupted, and that is when the real test will begin. The pitch has already started to misbehave, with the ball keeping low from the James Anderson End and unexpected bounce from the Brian Statham End. By the last session, the second new ball will loom. With possible overcast conditions and the pitch acting up, England would be sensing blood.
Ultimately, the Test now hinges on two things. One of them is how much time the weather takes away from England and how long India can bat.
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