Last Updated on 4 weeks by Charbel Coorey
ENG vs IND 4th Test Dream11 & Fan2Play Prediction Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | ENG vs IND 4th Test Dream11 Prediction Today | England vs India 4th Test Key Players | The Oval Pitch Report
What a difference a week makes, right? Prior to last week, Team India were flying high, basking in the glory of their epic triumph at Lord’s. England, on the other hand, looked beleaguered.
It seemed that all the problems were in the English camp heading into the Headingley Test. A week on and a shellacking by an innings & 76 runs later, all the problems seems to have transferred to the Indian camp.
England were relentless at Headingley. Their skillful seamers made the most of the conditions on offer on the first morning as they skittled India out for 78.
Joe Root then proceeded to pile on the agony with his 3rd ton of the series as England buried India under a mountain of runs.
Rohit Sharma (59), Cheteshwar Pujara (91) and Virat Kohli (55) struck half-centuries in the 2nd innings to give India a glimmer of hope. However, an inspired spell by Ollie Robinson on the 4th morning spelled yet another doomsday for the tourists as their middle and lower order fell like a pack of cards to hand England a series-levelling win.
So, it’s all to play for at the Oval with both sides aiming to take a 2-1 lead to ensure that they can’t lose the series heading into the fifth and final Test in Manchester.
Key Players to Watch/Key Stats
England:
- Joe Root: The England captain has proved to be a thorn in India’s flesh in the series thus far. Root has smashed 507 runs in five innings at a ridiculous average of 126.75 with three tons and a half-century.
- The last time Root batted against India at the Oval, he notched up an imperious 125. He loves batting at the Oval as is evident from his record at the venue- 592 runs in 13 innings at 49.33 with 3 50s and a couple of hundreds.
- Rory Burns: The England opener scored his second half-century of the series in the last Test and he will be looking to go one step ahead and notch up a three-figure score on arguably the flattest wicket in England.
- Burns has played just 1 Test at the Oval in which he managed 67 runs.
- Haseeb Hameed: Back at his favored position, Haseeb Hameed racked up a half-century in Leeds. He scored a patient 195-ball 68 and England will hope he continues his form in the next Test.
- Ollie Robinson: The lanky pacer has been sensational in the series thus far. His ability to bowl consistently in the corridor of uncertainty coupled with vicious nip-backers proved to be India’s undoing at Headingley.
- Robinson claimed 7 wickets in the match including a five-wicket-haul in the 2nd innings. He will once again be the one to watch out for at the Oval.
- James Anderson: The champion England seamer was at his sensational best in the first innings of the Leeds Test as he knocked over the cream of India’s batting- Rahul, Pujara and Kohli- to set-up an eventual 78 all-out.
- Anderson’s record at the Oval, however, is middling by his standards. In 24 innings, he has managed 44 wickets at an average of 31.84 with zero five-wicket-hauls.
India:
- Rohit Sharma: He may not have got daddy hundreds but it is fair to say that Rohit Sharma has comfortably been India’s best batsman in the ongoing series. He has consistently seen off the new ball but the issue with Rohit has been his inability to convert those starts into a big knock like he usually does in 50-over cricket.
- With the pitch at the Oval expected to be flat, will the ‘Hitman’ finally score what would be a much-deserved maiden overseas Test ton?
- KL Rahul: The stylish opener started the series with a bang as he scored 84 at Trent Bridge and an imperious ton at Lord’s. However, Rahul has since then registered three consecutive single-digit scores.
- He will be back at the venue where he smashed a classy 149 back in 2018 and the Karnataka opener will be hoping to do an encore of the same.
- Cheteshwar Pujara: The Indian No.3 looked at his fluent best after a long time during his 91 in the 2nd innings of the Leeds Test. Is it another false dawn or has Pujara finally found his touch? We’ll get the answer at the Oval.
- Pujara’s record at the Oval is poor. In 4 innings, he has managed 52 runs at an average of 13.
- Virat Kohli: Another Test and another round of expectations from skipper Kohli to shrug off his poor form.
- Kohli scored a half-century in the 2nd innings at Leeds but once again his troubled on and around off-stump proved to be his undoing as he nicked off in the cordon. Like Pujara, Kohli’s record at the Oval is abysmal: 75 runs in 4 innings at 18.75. Can the Indian captain turn his fortunes around in the 4th Test?
- Jasprit Bumrah: He may have taken just two wickets at Headingley but Bumrah was by far India’s best bowler on show. The Indians will, however, hope he has more wickets to show at the Oval.
Stats and Facts
- India have an abysmal record at the Oval: 1 win and 5 defeats in 13 Tests.
- The last time India won a Test at the Oval was during their maiden series triumph in England in 1971.
- India have lost each of their last three Tests at The Oval.
- England’s record at the Oval since the start of 2011: 5 wins in 9 Tests and 3 defeats.
- Virat Kohli needs 1 more run to complete 23000 international runs. In 489 international innings, Kohli has scored 22999 runs at an average of 55.28 with 116 50s and 70 tons. He will be the third Indian to do so after Sachin Tendulkar (34357) and Rahul Dravid (24064) and 7th overall.
- He will also become the fastest-ever in the history of the game to achieve the landmark.
Possible Playing XI
India
Will India finally play Ravichandran Ashwin at the Oval or will they stick to their template of four pacers and a lone spinner?
India have added Prasidh Krishna in their squad for the 4th Test. Ishant Sharma is likely to be benched and it will be interesting to see whether they replace him with another pacer or do they go with Ashwin.
Playing XI– Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin/Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
England:
With Jos Buttler unavailable, Jonny Bairstow will don the keeping gloves. One of Ollie Pope or Dan Lawrence is likely to replace Buttler in the playing XI.
With Chris Woakes back in the squad and back-to-back Tests looming, it will be interesting to see if England opt to rotate their pacers, especially James Anderson.
Playing XI– Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joe Root ©, Ollie Pope/Dan Lawrence, Jonny Bairstow (WK), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson, Craig Overton/Mark Wood, James Anderson
The Oval, London, pitch report and weather conditions
The wicket at the Oval has been one of the most batsman friendly in the past 2 decades. The pitch tends to be dry and as game wears on, the role of spinners can become really crucial.
As far as the weather is concerned, it is expected to be overcast throughout the Test match but chances of rain playing an overwhelming part in the game is unlikely. The temperatures will fluctuate between 13-21 degree Celsius. Humidity is set to hover around 73%.
Dream11 & Fan2Play Prediction
Also read: Fan2Play vs Dream11 – What’s the difference?

Match Prediction
Past record at the Oval is against India and given their current batting form, the tourists will be under enormous pressure to deliver. But, if there is one thing that can one say with certainty about this team under Virat Kohli is that they always find a way to make a comeback after a demoralizing defeat.
England, given the home advantage and the momentum after a dominating win at the Oval, will start as favorites but they will do well to not take the Indian team likely.