England v India cricket tips & value bets | Fourth Test preview

England will be looking to secure the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy for the first time when they face India in Manchester, with the fourth Test set to kick off this Wednesday at 11am BST.

It has been a thrilling series so far and the Lord’s Test was no different, with the home side securing victory by just 22 runs.

India had every chance to win it after England took a lead of 192 into the fourth innings, but their own batting lineup fell short — despite the best efforts of Ravindra Jadeja, who made a valiant 61 before he ran out of partners.

Other key efforts with the bat included first-innings centuries from both Joe Root and KL Rahul, while with the ball, Jasprit Bumrah led the way with seven wickets.

The series now sits at 2-1 in England’s favor heading to Old Trafford.

It has been an excellent hunting ground for the home side, who have lost just one of their last 18 matches at the venue. Meanwhile, India have never won at the ground.

It is no surprise that England enter the fourth Test as +105 betting favorites, with the visitors paying as much as +275 to snap their Manchester hoodoo.

However, with rain expected to hang around for the entire Test, keep an eye on the draw market at +300 with top cricket bookmakers.

England team news

The hosts have been forced into one change after Shoaib Bashir was ruled out of the series with a finger injury. Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson is the most likely replacement.

Seam-bowling allrounders Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse have both come under a certain level of scrutiny throughout the series, but both should be safe after solid contributions at Lord’s.

England’s predicted 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. Chris Woakes
9. Brydon Carse
10. Jofra Archer
11. Liam Dawson

India team news

India have a selection dilemma for this Test, with plenty of changes expected. Jasprit Bumrah was only supposed to play three of the five Tests, but with the series on the line, he is expected to hold his spot.

Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh are unavailable, meaning there will be significant changes to the bowling attack.

With Rishabh Pant suffering a finger injury, his availability remains unclear, but it is almost certain he won’t take the gloves. KL Rahul could step in as wicketkeeper, while there is also the option to bring in Dhruv Jurel.

Also, with Karun Nair yet to reach 50 this series, the visitors may opt to recall Sai Sudharsan at number three.

India’s predicted XI:

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal
2. KL Rahul
3. Sai Sudharsan
4. Shubman Gill (c)
5. Rishabh Pant
6. Dhruv Jurel (wk)
7. Ravindra Jadeja
8. Washington Sundar
9. Jasprit Bumrah
10. Prasidh Krishna
11. Mohammed Siraj

England v India betting picks – Third Test

In what has been an excellent series, this one could go either way. However, the combination of England’s excellent record in Manchester and the number of changes being made to the Indian squad suggest it will be tough for the visitors. The hosts should be too good, securing the series at +105 with leading online bookies.

Coming off a first-innings ton at Lord’s, Joe Root remains the most dangerous batsman in the English lineup. He has a chance to become the second-highest Test runscorer of all time if he can put up 120 across this match, so he won’t be lacking motivation. Root averages 65.8 with seven half-centuries at Old Trafford, and at +130 with , he offers great value to pass 50 again in England’s first innings.

With the series on the line, expect Indian quick Jasprit Bumrah to lead from the front. The 31-year-old has taken five wickets in the first innings of each of his two Tests in this series, thriving with both the new and old ball. With plenty of changes to the pace attack around him, Bumrah offers excellent value to be India’s leading first-innings wicket-taker at +200 with top online sportsbooks.