Why Is Akash Deep Not Included In India Playing XI For ENG vs IND 4th Test At Old Trafford?
An eight-day gap ahead of the ENG vs IND 4th Test proved to be quite upsetting for India as multiple players succumbed to injuries while some others couldn’t recover in time. As England lead 2-1 in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, the Old Trafford Test is a virtual series decider. However, an important name, Akash Deep, misses out.
Speaking at the coin toss, Shubman Gill mentioned three changes for this match. He said, “Sai Sudharsan comes in place of Karun. Kamboj and Shardul are in as well for Akash Deep and Reddy who are injured.”
Another news from the match centre is that Ben Stokes won the toss and put India to bat first.
Why is Akash Deep not playing at Old Trafford?
The 28-year-old pacer sustained a groin injury at Lord’s.
Akash was in excellent form, picking 10 wickets in the Birmingham Test. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Akash wreaked havoc on English batters with spells of 88/4 and 99/6. India won that Test to level the series. However, Akash couldn’t follow it up and scalped just one wicket in the last Test. His spells read 0/92 and 1/30.
As per the reports, the Bengal player has been under assessment and unfit for this Test.
Gill confirmed the same during the pre-match conference and gave a hint about Akash’s replacement.
The India captain had stated, “He [Kamboj] is very close to making his debut. We’re going to see tomorrow between him and Prasidh as to who is going to make it to the XI.”
ALSO READ:
- Defending Champions RCB Seal Spot in IPL 2026 Final After Thrashing Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1; Key Takeaways from RCB vs GT Match
- Why Is Jasprit Bumrah Not in MI Playing XI Today for MI vs RR IPL 2026 Match?
- Shreyas Iyer Slams Maiden Century as Punjab Kings Stay Alive in Playoff Qualification Race; Key Takeaways from LSG vs PBKS IPL 2026
- Why Is Jacob Bethell Not in RCB Playing XI Tonight for SRH vs RCB IPL 2026?
- Pat Cummins Reveals Reason for Electing Ishan Kishan as SRH Stand-in Captain in IPL 2026
Anshul Kamboj Makes India Debut, Kuldeep Yadav Misses Again
Come Wednesday morning, Anshul Kamboj received his maiden India cap from former player Deep Das Gupta. Kamboj donned Test cap No.318 ahead of the start of play.
The 24-year-old comes on the back of a pride-saving season for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). During the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, he picked up eight wickets in as many matches. Kamboj, playing in the tail-end of the league, averaged 21.50 – a decent figure among the CSK bowlers.
During India A’s unofficial Tests against England Lions, Kamboj took five wickets across two matches.
In 24 First-Class matches, the Haryana bowler has 79 wickets to his name, averaging just under 23.
On the other hand, Sai Sudharsan has replaced Karun Nair. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who suffered a knee injury three days before the Test, is replaced by Shardul Thakur.
However, Kuldeep Yadav misses out again, despite various pundits and experts opining how the Old Trafford pitch will help the left-arm spinner.
Also check out ENG vs IND Betting Guide for 4th Test.
Playing XI for ENG vs IND 4th Test
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (w), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (w), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Anshul Kamboj, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
