England vs. India – Fourth Test – Betting Odds and Predictions

England showed tremendous character and determination to bounce back in the third test at Leeds and finish India in just four days. England dominated India throughout the test and ended up winning by an innings and 76 runs. The series is delicately poised at 1-1 after three tests, with the fourth test scheduled to take place at the Oval from 02 to 06 September.

India does not have much time to regroup after their dismal performance at Leeds. Head coach Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli will do what they always do: shrug off the defeat, pull up their socks, and go in more determined than ever to win.

Fourth Test – Betting Odds

India went in as slight betting favorites for the third test, but after their loss, they are back to being underdogs for the third test. England is slightly in front with odds of 2.50, while India goes in with odds of 2.25. The odds for this test ending in a draw are currently at 4.50.

During this test match, the weather isn’t looking very good as rain is expected to interrupt at least two days of play. The first day looks good, and the side that wins the toss will look to bat first. The second and third days will have rain interruptions, and we could end up losing a few overs. Just how many overs will be lost due to bad weather is hard to predict.

The fourth day is expected to have a lot of cloud cover and could be difficult for batting. Due to the poor weather during the test, there is a possibility that this test could end up in a draw due to lost time.

England Will Likely Play The Same Side

England played near-flawless cricket with both bat and ball to keep India under constant pressure. Ollie Robinson stole the show with the ball picking up two wickets in the first innings and 5 in the second, Craig Overton took 3 in the first and 3 in the second, and the experienced James Anderson took four wickets in the match.

The bowlers took the game away from India by bowling them out in the first innings for just 78. They will go in with their tails up in the fourth test as they believe they will be able to run through the Indian batting line-up again.

While the bowlers did well, it is the batting department that saw the biggest turnaround. Captain Joe Root continued his good form scoring another century, but this time around, many of his players made runs. Rory Burns, H Hameed, and Dawid Malan all hit half-centuries that allowed England to get past 400.

Will the batting department be able to make runs at the Oval? Will England’s bowlers once again be able to skittle the Indian batsmen? We will have to wait and see.

India Should Make A Couple Of Changes

While England did well with both bat and ball, India struggled with both bat and ball. While Kohli generally likes to stick to the same side, they should think about making a couple of changes for the fourth test.

There was talk leading into the third test that R Ashwin should come in and take the place of R Jadeja. We think that’s one change India needs to make ahead of the fourth test. They should also think about strengthening the lower order by bringing back S Thakur in place of I Sharma. We think India should consider a change but are not likely to make is over vice-captain A Rahane.

Rahane made 18 and 10 in the second innings, and that’s not good enough from the India vice-captain, who is batting at 5. With India playing just five batsmen, the need for Rahane to make big runs is vital to the team’s success. With Rahane struggling, India should consider replacing him with either S Yadav or H Vihari.

While Vihari has the experience of playing in the middle-order, we think India should take a chance and give the talented Yadav a test debut. India is likely to give A Rahane another opportunity in the fourth test, but if he has another failure, we could see a change in the fifth test.

The form of V Kohli is also a concern as he made 7 and 55 in the fourth test. India needs a big score from their captain if they are going to win the fourth test and push for a series win.

Fourth Test – Verdict

We feel England has too much momentum behind them after their dominating win at Leeds and will use that momentum to get the better of India in the fourth test and take a 2-1 series lead.