England vs India 2018: 5 Reasons why India will win the fourth Test

Three out of the five Tests have concluded and England leads the series 2-1. That is only half the story told as the real action has just started. India, having entered the Nottingham test on the back of a heavy mauling in Lord's, just looked a completely different outfit as they beat England comprehensively to bring huge cheers to the fans back home.

Having won the third Test, India has just opened up the interest levels for the fourth Test. The all-important Southampton Test is scheduled to commence on August 31 (Thursday). As England and India lock horns on Thursday, here are five major reasons why India will come out victorious in the fourth Test and level the five-match series 2-2.

India's Squad For The 4th and 5th Test:

Virat Kohli (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Karun Nair, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Prithvi Shaw, Hanuma Vihari

#1 Top Order Contributions

Dhawan and Rahul batted wonderfully in both the innings in Nottingham

It is always imperative for a team to have a solid opening combination that lays down the perfect platform for the rest of the batters to capitalize. India finally seems to have found a good opening combination in Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul.

In the recently concluded third Test, both the openers played confidently and that was evident in the way they handled the new ball threat from Anderson and Broad. The fact that the opening partnership in both the innings managed to touch 60, is a sign that both the openers have read the conditions quite well and are accustomed to the same.

When both the openers do well, it is only a matter of time for the middle order to perform. And India found their two most experienced batsmen Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane standing up to the challenge in the first essay.

Kohli once again established the Indian batting supremacy in the second essay, but this time with Pujara, who exhibited composure and solidity as always. The top order problem seems to be put to rest as of now, with both the openers looking in good touch in Nottingham and Pujara being in his own fantastic self.

So, if India can replicate the good top order performance in Southampton also, there is no reason why they cannot make it 2-2 in the series.

#2 Rahane's Welcome Return To Form

Rahane's 81 is a welcome news for Team India

Any overseas tour for India is incomplete without the name of Ajinkya Rahane in the scoresheet. Such has been his consistency in overseas tests, that the dropping of Rahane in the South Africa series earlier, raised so many eyebrows in the cricketing fraternity.

It was evident from statistics that he was clearly struggling to get back his form, but for classical players, it is only a matter of time before getting back to good form.

In the first two tests in England, Rahane looked completely out of sorts against an English bowling lineup that was breathing fire in all directions. He did get those starts, but none of them was substantial enough. None of his knocks could be related to the in-form Rahane that we are all used to seeing.

England versus India, Third Test at Nottingham, and India were getting ready for a do-or-die battle. It is in moments of crisis like these, that champions show their class and Rahane did just that.

India was in a situation of bother at 82/3 when he joined his captain Kohli. He was struggling initially, but he did the most important thing- staying at the crease. He went on to score a crucial 81 that was very important in the context of the game.

Even in the second innings, he looked solid and composed as ever, though he could manage only 29 runs. The welcome return to form of the overseas-specialist Rahane is certainly a big positive for India in the next two Tests and they will once again bank upon Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane to do the bulk of the scoring in the middle order.

#3 Hardik Pandya's All-Round Heroics

Pandya's all-round performance will keep India in good stead against England

The Nottingham Test was a game full of positives for India. Among all the positives that one can think of, the biggest positive is the rise of Hardik Pandya- the all-rounder. Coming into the third Test, he was under extreme pressure to deliver as he had no substantial performance against his name to warrant a place in the eleven.

Although he had a few good games that include the first test against South Africa where he scored 93, he had not lived up to the expectations of fans in the Tests that followed.

This Test was a complete contrast as far as his performance is concerned. He walked away with a 5-fer in the first essay that almost bowled England out of the game. With the bat, he was given the full license to play his natural game in the second innings, as India had already achieved a lead of 450 when he came out to bat.

He took full advantage of the situation and carted the English bowlers all over the park en route to his first ever half-ton in Tests in England. He did pick one wicket in the second innings as well, which was probably one of the crucial wickets in the game. Ben Stokes was looking like a man of determination and a special one from Pandya squared him up to edge one to the slips.

It was one of the most impressive all-round performance from Pandya that one could have ever witnessed and it could not have come at a better time for India. If Pandya can put up some more outstanding performances, India certainly have it in them to make it 2-2 in Southampton.

#4 Slip Catching

KL Rahul's batting and his slip catching was a delight to Indian cricket fans

This is one of the major aspects that was missing in the first two Tests, where India lost both the encounters. But the third Test in Nottingham was simply fantastic for India as almost every catch was gobbled up by the slip fielders (read KL Rahul).

Rishabh Pant was very good behind the stumps as he claimed 7 catches, which is an Indian record for a wicketkeeper. KL Rahul was highly impressive as he took all the catches that came his way. Even half-chances were converted into wickets, which included that of Joe Root's dismissal in the first innings.

If KL Rahul's batting was something to be cherished, his slip catching is something that will be talked about, for a long time to come. If the slip fielders can be as impressive as they were in Nottingham, India would surely level the series at Southampton.

#5 Bumrah's Presence In The Eleven

Bumrah's five-fer paved the way for an Indian victory against England in Nottingham

Before the Test series began, when Bumrah and Bhuvi were ruled out for the initial stages of the series, it was a tough pill to swallow for Indian fans who depended a lot on these two to carry the responsibility of Indian bowling.

It was always going to be a herculean task for India to win a Test without these two mainstays in the eleven. With losses in the first two Tests and a possible series defeat on the cards, India was down and out when they entered into the third test trailing 0-2.

They needed something special to turn things around, and when Bumrah was expected to take part in the third Test, the fortunes of the Indian team was expected to reverse. As expected, India put on a fantastic performance to win the Test in Nottingham.

Bumrah's presence charged up the dressing room as he was consistent with his line and lengths and troubled the English batsmen more often than not. Although he picked up only a couple of wickets in the first innings, he had created the pressure from one end and it was easier for Pandya and others to use it to their advantage and reap the benefits out of it.

In the second innings, with Buttler and Stokes putting up a grand show with the bat, the onus was on Bumrah to break the partnership. He delivered it in some style with the second new ball by picking up Buttler and Bairstow in two deliveries, which eventually opened the floodgates for an English collapse. He deservedly ended up with a five-fer to his name.

Taking into consideration all these factors, there is no denying the fact that India will start as favorites in the Southampton Test. It is even more obvious because of the "Momentum" factor in their favor. England's lineup will get to see a lot of changes, and that is not going to help the home team either.

In all likelihood, a grand thriller is expected in the fifth test in Oval, with India and England tied at 2-2.