Day 1 of India vs England 4th Test hangs by a thread as rain threat looms large in Manchester

The fourth Test is set to begin at 3:30 PM IST, but it looks like Lady Luck has other plans.

Trailing 1-2 in the ongoing five-match series, India will be looking to level proceedings against England, when they face each other in the fourth Test in Manchester. The fourth Test is scheduled to begin on July 23 at Old Trafford, and it is expected to be an entertaining thriller.

England's Liam Dawson amid rainfall ahead of the fourth Test. (PTI)

Since the third Test got over, both teams have been on a eight-day break. Exhaustion will be a key factor when the fourth Test begins, and also the bowling combination of both sides.

Speaking ahead of the match, India skipper Shubman Gill said, “It is not ideal when you have to, after every match, kind of have to go back and have a different combination. But it was something that I was prepared before the series that there would be a scenario where I would have to have a different combination for every match. So, I kind of planned it before the series how we are going to go about it.”

India vs England 4th Test, Weather Report

The fourth Test is set to begin at 3:30 PM IST, but it looks like Lady Luck has other plans. According to Accuweather, there is a 49 percent chance of rain when the match begins, and it will probably start pouring from toss itself.

Rain is predicted to subside from 5:00 PM IST onwards. But then it could return again at full flow at 8:45 PM IST and we could see a very shortened Day 1.

Jasprit Bumrah is expected to feature in Manchester, as revealed by Mohammed Siraj in his pre-match press conference. Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar Reddy is out injured, and Rishabh Pant is expected to return to wicketkeeping duties after sustaining a finger injury in the third Test. Prasidh Krishna and Anshul Kamboj (who arrived recently) will compete for a spot in the squad, and Sai Sudharsan is also expected to return to the playing XI.