Bristol, July 8 (IANS) India face a must-win situation when they meet England in the fourth T20I at County Ground on Thursday, with the visitors needing a victory to keep the five-match series alive after slipping 0-2 behind.

The opening fixture was washed out, but England have dominated the two completed matches, capping their resurgence with a crushing 125-run victory at Trent Bridge, India’s heaviest defeat in T20 Internationals.

With the batting unit struggling to cope with England’s pace and bounce, the focus has shifted to whether India’s think tank will make changes to arrest the slide. The biggest talking point surrounds Sanju Samson, who has been on the sidelines after making way for teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. India now face the challenge of deciding whether to restore the experienced batter without unsettling the balance of the top order.

The middle order has also failed to provide stability, while India’s bowling attack has lacked penetration during crucial phases. The spinners, expected to control the middle overs, have been unable to apply sustained pressure, leaving the pace attack with too much to do.

England, meanwhile, have little reason to alter a combination that has excelled in all departments. Phil Salt’s return to form has strengthened the batting, while the fast-bowling pair of Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue have consistently dismantled India’s top order with pace and movement.

For India captain Shreyas Iyer, Thursday’s contest presents an opportunity to register his first victory since taking charge and inject momentum ahead of the series finale. Another defeat, however, would hand England the series with a game to spare and intensify scrutiny over India’s selections and tactical decisions.

When: Thursday, July 9 at 10:00 PM IST

Where: County Ground, Bristol

Where to watch: The series will be broadcast on Sony Sports Network TV channels and live-streamed on the JioHotstar app

Squads:

India: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Prasidh Krishna, Suryansh Shedge, Washington Sundar.

England: Harry Brook (c), Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue, Jordan Cox, Sonny Baker, Luke Wood, Saqib Mahmood, Rehan Ahmed, James Coles.

–IANS

vi/