All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy suffered a knee injury and has been ruled out of the Test series against England. He was dropped from the first Test at Headingley, but after Shardul Thakur flopped in the match, the team management brought him back for the Edgbaston Test. In the third Test at Lord’s, he looked sharp, picking up two quick wickets of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley and was expected to play a bigger role in the remainder of the series.
However, he was eventually ruled out and was replaced by Shardul in the Manchester Test. The all-rounder picked just two wickets in the Headingley Test and didn’t contribute much with the bat. With Nitish now out of the remaining two matches, Shardul will have the opportunity to prove his value and strengthen his spot in the playing XI.
India also had to drop Akash Deep from the playing XI, owing to his groin injury. He was ruled out of the fourth Test and was replaced by debutant Anshul Kamboj, who was mighty impressive in the 2024-25 edition of the Ranji Trophy. He clinched 34 wickets in six matches, which helped the Haryana pacer earn his spot in the playing XI.
Apart from that, the Shubman Gill-led side brought back Sai Sudharsan in the mix. The youngster featured in the first Test but was dropped after that. Karun Nair took over the number three spot, but after he failed, Sudharsan returned to the XI. He now has the opportunity to seal his spot in the team with consistent performance. If he manages to prove himself, Sudharsan can also seal his spot as a long-term option.
England vs India fourth Test playing XIs
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Anshul Kamboj
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer