Team India faces England at Old Trafford, aiming to level the series despite injury setbacks. This historic venue has yet to see an Indian Test victory, posing a significant challenge for Shubman Gill's young squad.
Team India will face England in the fourth Test of the Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy 2025 at Old Trafford in Manchester on Wednesday, July 23. The Shubman Gill-side Team India is currently trailing 1-2 in the five-match series after Lord’s Test defeat.
Ahead of Old Trafford Test, where India have yet to win a match, the visitors were hit with injury setbacks, with Nitish Kumar Reddy being ruled out of the remaining England series due to knee injury sustained during a gym session in Beckenham, and Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep would not be available for the fourth Test due to respective injuries.
Amid deepened injury crisis and an imposing track record stacked up against them, Team India will have to produce clinical performance in order to level the series.
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After Edgbaston, Shubman Gill & Co. eyes Old Trafford
Before Shubman Gill’s Team India played at Edgbaston in the second Test, no Indian team managed to win a match at the venue in Birmingham. In eight appearances, India had lost seven games and drawn one.
The winless streak started in 1936 and continued till 2022. Three years later, in 2025, the current Indian team did what the previous touring sides could not, breaching Edgbaston with a mammoth 336-run victory. This ended a 58-year jinx of winning a Test match in Birmingham.
Similarly, Old Trafford has never been kinder to Team India, having not won a single match at the venue, with five draws in 1936, 1946, 1971, 1982, and 1990, and five losses in 1952, 1959, 1974, and 2014, making it one of the daunting venues for India in England. In 2021, the fifth and final Test was scheduled to be played at Old Trafford
The only player from India’s last Test appearance at Old Trafford, a defeat by an innings and 54 runs, still in the squad is Ravindra Jadeja. Interestingly, Old Trafford remains the only venue in England that India are yet to win a Test match.
Except for Ravindra Jadeja, current Indian players heading to Old Trafford will be playing their first-ever Test at the venue, making it a fresh challenge for Shubman Gill and the young squad to end a 89-year winless streak in Manchester and keep the five-match series alive heading into the decider at Kennington Oval.
Injuries open doors for must-win clash
Injuries to Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akash Deep, and Arshdeep have opened doors for other players to make it to the playing XI. The injury setbacks ahead of the crucial Test at Old Trafford have forced the visitors to rethink the combination. There are expected to be a few changes in the team from Lord’s Test.
Kuldeep Yadav is likely to return to the playing XI if the Team India management is willing to go with a three-spin attack rather than bringing in bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who played the first Test at Headingley and was then replaced by Nitish Kumar Reddy for the next two Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s. Since Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar are unlikely to be dropped, Kuldeep Yadav may come in as a third specialist spinner.
Anshul Kamboj, on the other hand, is in line to make his Test debut at Manchester, as hinted by Shubman Gill. Kamboj was added to the squad for the remaining two Tests of the series due to an injury crisis. His impressive performance in two unofficial Tests for India A against England Lions and in Ranji Trophy earned him a Test call-up.
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant will play as a wicketkeeper-batter rather than solely as a batter as reported earlier due to uncertainty over keeping the wickets given the injury on his index finger, which he sustained during the Lord’s Test. Therefore, Dhruv Jurel, who replaced Pant for wicket-keeping duties at Lord’s, will have to wait for his chance.
And, Jasprit Bumrah has been confirmed to play the Manchester Test despite uncertainty over his participation due to workload management. It was already decided that lead pacer would play only three Tests in the ongoing series. He has already played two at Headingley and Lord’s, and rested for the second Test at Edgbaston.
England hold an impressive record in Manchester 2000
England have been nearly unbeaten at Old Trafford since 2000, winning 14, losing 2, and drawing 4 in their 20 outings, making Manchester one of their strongest fortresses in Test cricket. The Three Lions’ last outing at Old Trafford was against Sri Lanka in 2024, winning the match by five wickets.
In this century, Pakistan and Australia in 2001 and 2019, respectively, were the only teams to defeat England at Manchester. England have breached the 500-run mark four times at the venue, with 592/10 against Australia in 2023, remains their highest total in Manchester, underlining the batting-friendly conditions and their dominance at Old Trafford.
Additionally, the likes of Joe Root (978 at 65.20), Ben Stokes (579 at 52.63) and Zak Crawley (238 at 59.50) from the current squad have an impressive batting record at Old Trafford. Pace bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes has picked 35 wickets in Manchester, making him the most successful current English bowler at the venue.
Apart from England’s Test record at Old Trafford since 2000, the hosts are expected to pose a threat to the visitors with the Bazball approach, which is ultra-aggressive and thrives on unsettling the opposition bowlers by maintaining high scoring rates and seizing the momentum in short bursts.
Under the captain and coach duo of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, England have redefined an approach in Test cricket with fearless batting, bold declarations, and relentless intent. The hosts lacked the Bazball approach in the last two Tests, but with the series on the line and familiar conditions at Old Trafford, Stokes and McCullum are expected to unleash their aggressive brand of cricket.
Tough Task for India, but hope runs high
Team India can take inspiration from their historic Edgbaston Test victory in order to fuel their hopes to breach Old Trafford, a venue that has been elusive for 89 years. The Manchester Test requires a collective effort from the visitors to script history, adapt to conditions, and swiftly counter England’s Bazball approach to stay alive in the series.
Shubman Gill experienced a dip in form at Lord’s after a golden run in the first two Tests at Headingley and Edgbaston, while Yashasvi Jaiswal struggled to maintain his consistency. Gill and Jaiswal must find their rhythm to anchor the top-order and neutralise England’s early threat with the ball.
While KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Ravindra Jadeja will hope to deliver their best with the bat in the crucial Test. However, a concern is over Karun Nair’s form if Team India management is willing to give the veteran batter one more chance rather than bringing back Sai Sudharsan, who was dropped after his Test debut at Headingley.
In bowling, Jasprit Bumrah is expected to lead the attack with his pace and precision, but support from Mohammed Siraj, and spin trio of Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Kuldeep Yadav will be vital in India’s bid to end their Old Trafford hoodoo. Siraj has shown his improvement in the last two Tests, while Sundar was quite impressive in the second innings of the Lord’s Test.
The collective effort from batting and bowling departments could prove decisive in Team India’s quest to break 89 years of Test winless streak at Old Trafford.
