2-1, 2-2 or 3-1? India chase history, England look to avoid ignominy in one last squabble
Covid-19 complications cast doubt over the Manchester Test
Big picture
Root has carried England’s batting throughout the series – throughout 2021, in fact – but he will be left carrying an unwanted label if he can’t oversee victory, as the only English captain to lose two home Test series in the same summer. There might be no shame in saying that India and New Zealand are simply better sides (viz. the WTC final) – but there will certainly be stigma should England be left with a sole victory from seven Tests. And has anyone mentioned that there’s an Ashes winter to come?
Form guide
(last five completed matches; most recent first)
England: LWLDL
India: WLWDL
Players to watch
Team news
England (probable): 1 Rory Burns, 2 Haseeb Hameed, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Joe Root (capt), 5 Ollie Pope, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Ollie Robinson, 10 Mark Wood, 11 James Anderson
India (probable): 1 KL Rahul, 2 Rohit Sharma/Mayank Agarwal, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane/Hanuma Vihari, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja/Axar Patel, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Mohammed Shami/Mohammad Siraj, 11 Umesh Yadav
Pitch and conditions
Hard and bouncy. That’s how they usually serve it up in Manchester. Decent to bat on but offering something for quicks and spinners alike – although at this late stage in the season, the tracks might be lower and a little on the worn side. Weather forecasts suggest an end to the UK’s brief September hot spell, with the potential for rain marking a return to more autumnal conditions.
Stats
Quotes
“As a group we’re determined to win this Test and level the series. Spirits are high and there will be one last big push for a must-win game.”
Jos Buttler expects a response from England
Alan Gardner is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo. @alanroderick
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