Team India seemed set to seal a series win in the minimal possible time, but England had other plans in Rajkot. The visitors claimed an important 26-run win in the third T20I to bring the series back to life ahead of the final two matches.
India and England will lock horns at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Saturday, January 31. The Men in Blue can still get the job done in the fourth T20I, while Jos Buttler and Co. will be intent on forcing a decider.
The previous game saw the hosts come up with a rather unimpressive display from a tactical perspective. India made a host of strategic errors that hampered their chances of scaling down England's total in quick time. They will need to ensure that the same doesn't happen on Saturday.
India’s updated squad for the T20I series against England: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Axar Patel (vc), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shivam Dube, Ramandeep Singh.
On that note, here are three things India need to do right to beat England in the fourth T20I.
#3 Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson need to pick the right bowlers to hit
It's no secret that Jofra Archer is troubling Sanju Samson. The express England pacer has dismissed the Indian opener in each of the three T20I so far, all off the pull shot. Samson, on his part, has tried to hit his way out of trouble.
But that hasn't worked so far. Both Abhishek and Samson will need to identify the right bowlers to attack, with the former having tasted more success against Archer in recent matches and the latter being in an excellent position to counter the likes of Brydon Carse and Mark Wood.
Samson will need to exercise caution against Archer, who is England's biggest threat in the powerplay. Abhishek, meanwhile, needs to ensure that he doesn't go looking for 25-run overs when he has already hit a couple of boundaries.
#2 India need to keep their faith in Ravi Bishnoi
Ravi Bishnoi is one of the few Indian players without a notable contribution to the series so far. The leg-spinner has picked up just one wicket in the three T20Is and was carted for 46 runs in his four overs in Rajkot.
While Bishnoi's consistency and execution have left a lot to be desired, India need to retain their faith in him for the fourth T20I. The MCA Stadium in Pune has helped spinners in recent times, and England have struggled against that bowling type even if the 24-year-old went for a few runs in the previous game.
India will lose a significant portion of the X-factor in their bowling attack if they drop Bishnoi, who must be retained despite his indifferent form.
#1 Replacing Washington Sundar with a specialist won't be the worst idea
Washington Sundar had a miserable outing in Rajkot as his painstaking knock allowed the required run rate to skyrocket and put India in deep waters with the chase. He hasn't been used much with the ball either, having bowled just two overs in the series so far.
Sundar doesn't add much value to the T20I side in both departments, and India should consider bringing in a specialist fast bowler to add beef to their attack. That would be at the cost of batting depth, but given the current composition of the side, the all-rounder doesn't have an ideal position anyway.
Even if India choose to replace Sundar with a specialist batter, either Ramandeep Singh or Shivam Dube, it wouldn't be the worst idea. Picking both Dhruv Jurel and the returning Rinku Singh is another option.
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