They’re 1-2 down, and Reddy and Akash Deep are out. It’s all to play for between two thrillingly flawed teams

Alagappan Muthu22-Jul-20253:49

Who replaces Nitish Kumar Reddy in India’s XI?

Big picture: 2-2 or 3-1?Anything can happen. It is the central allure of sport. And this series keeps going out of its way to highlight it. There have been mountains of runs, mid-pitch feuds, men standing tall, men breaking down, history created left, right and centre, and heartbreak to last lifetimes. Manchester would do well to stock up on tissues and saw off everything but the edge of the couch.India will look back at so many moments. The run-out that needn’t have been. The back-foot defence that wasn’t quite. Small things. And now that they have had a little time to digest how big their impact was at Lord’s, there may be an understanding that being 1-2 down is a reality waiting to be reshaped. It is perhaps why they are pressing Jasprit Bumrah back into action. He is known to have sweet-talked destiny before.England have someone like that too and he has had his four days’ bed rest. Ben Stokes ran himself into the ground last week. Watching him, his team-mates did the same. Jofra Archer didn’t care that he had only bowled 18 overs in first-class cricket in four years of Test-match exile. He was ready to go from 0 to 90mph. Shoaib Bashir didn’t let minor details like a broken left hand keep him from answering his captain’s call. He was happy to bowl England to victory.Related

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Both these teams had much easier paths to victory open to them. Their flaws came in the way. Neither team is willing to let that define them. That’s why they are so good to watch. They aren’t perfect. But they are determined. With the series on the line and injuries forcing them to dig even deeper, there is every chance another spectacle awaits us at Old Trafford. Anything can happen. It is the central allure of sport. Because the people who are part of it just never give up.Form guideEngland WLWWL
India LWLLLIn the spotlight: Zak Crawley and Rishabh PantZak Crawley has hit a bit of an introspective phase in his career. The man who began an Ashes series by smacking its first ball for four is starting to appreciate a new way of doing things. His 128 runs in this series have come off 261 balls. He isn’t used to playing like this but fortifying their defence is an important pursuit for a batter in this format. How does Crawley balance that growth with the pressure that is building on him from the outside? He played a significant part in England chasing down 371 in the first Test but right now his batting average for the series sits below even that of the bowler his team brings on as first change.3:30

Gill questions England’s conduct at Lord’s

Rollercoasters ain’t got nothin’ on Rishabh Pant. The best of him at Headingly wasn’t enough to win the game for India. One well-meaning mistake in the first innings became a huge turning point at Lord’s. He tried to make up for it in the second innings – even though his left hand was injured – but the pain was clearly too much. He struggled to keep hold of the bat, and this time it wasn’t the slightest bit funny. An eight-day gap between matches has allowed him to heal, which brings us squarely to the question: what’s in store for Pant at Old Trafford (besides taking penalties with Manchester United)?Team news: Reddy and Akash out, Sudharsan and Kamboj in the runningEngland have already announced their XI with left-arm spinner Liam Dawson returning to Test cricket after an eight-year gap to take over as lead spinner from Bashir, who has been ruled out of the series.England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Liam Dawson, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 Brydon Carse, 11 Jofra Archer.Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep are injured and will not be playing a part in this game. That opens up space for a potential recall for B Sai Sudharsan, and either a surprise debut for Anshul Kamboj, who picked up all 10 wickets in a Ranji Trophy match last year, or a recall for Prasidh Krishna. There may also be consideration given to Shardul Thakur stepping in for Washington Sundar if the pitch is more seam-friendly.India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Sai Sudharsan, 4 Shubman Gill (capt), 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Karun Nair, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Washington Sundar/Shardul Thakur, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Prasidh Krishna/Anshul Kamboj, 11 Mohammed Siraj0:52

Manjrekar: ‘Kamboj’s bowling style will suit conditions’

Pitch and conditions: Manchester tends to produce some of the quicker pitches in England. Batters who can cope with the pace find value for shots (though not everyone does) and bowlers might see the bounce and carry as reason to bend their backs even with a soft Dukes ball. The weather is likely to present a little bit of a problem with showers expected on the first two days.Stats and trivia: India up against it India have come back from losing two Tests in a series only twice – against West Indies in 1974-75 and in Australia in 1977-78. Both times they went on to lose the decider. Joe Root goes into Manchester as the fifth-highest run-scorer (13259) in Test cricket. By the time it ends, he could move to No. 2, above Ricky Ponting (13378) Shubman Gill came into this tour with 1893 Test runs. He has added 607 to that, improving his career tally by over 30%. Dawson comes into this game on the back of excellent form in first-class cricket with 12 of his 15 five-wicket hauls, including three ten-wicket matches, coming since 2021.Quotes”So far, the series has been great to play in and I presume it’s been pretty good to watch. The 2005 Ashes series was great to watch and I think we’ve gone all five days in all three Tests so far so it just proves that the quality of cricket has been outstanding. Two teams going toe-to-toe and not very much separating us at the moment. It’s been good to be a part of.
England captain Ben Stokes