Star India batter likely to make comeback in fourth Test against England

Following their significant victory in Rajkot, Team India aims to secure the series in Ranchi as they face England from February 23. Despite Virat Kohli's absence, his absence continues to be felt by the team. Nevertheless, KL Rahul is poised to make his return to the middle-order for the fourth Test in Ranchi, commencing on February 23, after being sidelined due to quadriceps and knee concerns for the Visakhapatnam and Rajkot matches. India skipper Rohit Sharma remarked on Sunday that the wicket keeper batter appears to be in good shape.

Rahul has been making steady progress in his recovery from the quad injury sustained during the first Test in Hyderabad. Initially slated to return for Rajkot, it was later determined that he should continue resting as he was only deemed '90 percent fit', according to a medical bulletin issued by the India Cricket Board. If the star wicket keeper batter makes his comeback, then it will be Rajat Patidar, who has yet to register a significant score in his first two Tests, could be the one to step aside.

India's 434-run victory at Rajkot stands as their largest ever in terms of runs. This remarkable feat was achieved after they posted scores of 445 and 430 runs in their two innings. Such dominance underscores England's batting struggles, as they plummeted from 207/2 at the close of Day 2 to being bowled out for 319, and eventually collapsing to 122 all out in the fourth innings.

I thought the game will go to the fifth day: Rohit Sharma

The India skipper remarked that he had anticipated the game would extend to the fifth day. Explaining further, Rohit even mentioned that with only 40 overs available to bowl that day, they believed that needing 130 overs to dismiss the opposition would be quite manageable. The 36-year-old also emphasized that their focus was more on the number of overs required to secure wickets rather than the runs scored.

“I thought the game will go to the fifth day. We had only 40 overs to bowl today and we thought 130 overs to get them out will be quite comfortable. More than runs, it was how many overs we need to get them out. By no means did I expect that it will get over by this evening,” Rohit Sharma said as reported by Hindustan Times.