Last Updated on 10 months ago by Charbel Coorey
The Headingley Test between England and India is beautifully poised, and thankfully the weather forecast looks excellent for the 4th day. India finished day three on 90/2, leading by 96 after England responded strongly with 465 in their first innings.
Rain led to an earlier finish on the third evening. However, AccuWeather forecasts for no rain with some intermittent clouds for the fourth day’s play. It will be a cool one for spectators and fans with breezy conditions and a top of just 18 degrees.
Headingley weather for 4th day: What impact will cool weather have on the pitch
The Headingley track showed signs of uneven bounce on day three with a couple of deliveries rearing up off a full length. The deliveries took off and flew way above Rishabh Pant’s head and to the boundary in a flash.
Despite that, plus some turn for Ravindra Jadeja, the pitch was largely still a good one for batting. The cool conditions on Monday could see the surface still hold up pretty well, coupled with how Headingley has favoured chasing teams over the past 10-15 years.
However, the mostly dry conditions, plus practice pitches along the outfield, could see reverse swing come into play. This is what England will be banking on even from the first session of play to restrict India, with Ben Stokes and Josh Tongue generating good movement in the air throughout this Test.
India will want KL Rahul and Shubman Gill to get off to a good start. England will be seeking regular wickets. Remember, India’s middle-lower order collapsed in the first innings.
300+ has been chased down four times in Tests at Headingley, most recently by England in the memorable Ashes Test of 2019. If the cool conditions helps keep the pitch intact, Ben Stokes’ team will back themselves to chase a score in that region against an Indian side that continues to rely heavily on Jasprit Bumrah.
Rahul will resume day four on 47*. First innings centurion Shubman Gill is unbeaten on six.
