The fourth Test of the five-match series between India and England is underway at the Old Trafford cricket ground. With England 2-1 up in the series, India is facing a do-or-die game in Manchester.
With England in firm control of the fourth Test ahead of Day 3, former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has boldly predicted the fate of a potentially series-deciding match.
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England finished Day 2 of the Manchester Test at 225 for 2, trailing by just 133 runs, with Joe Root and Ollie Pope at the crease.
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Ponting predicts England will defeat India at Old Trafford
After being put in to bat, India posted a solid first-innings total of 358 under challenging conditions.
England, in response, returned to their trademark Bazball approach, scoring 225 runs in just 46 overs at nearly five runs per over. Zak Crawley rediscovered some of his lost form with a fluent 84, sharing a 166-run opening stand with Ben Duckett.
READ MORE: Ricky Ponting slams India’s field placements and bowling plans on Day 2
The latter fell agonizingly short of a century as he was dismissed for 94 by debutant Anshul Kamboj.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Ricky Ponting made a bold prediction. He believed India might have to face an innings defeat, saying England might just bat once following their dominant batting performances.
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The Australian noted that India can only avoid this if they pick up early wickets in the first session of Day 3's play. If they don't, it will be a difficult task for the visitors to make a comeback in the Test match.
Why is England at an advantage ahead of Day 3 in India vs England 4th Test?
Ponting said: "Batting conditions probably won't get any better than right now, we have got two class players at the crease. India needs to find a way early today to get themselves back into the game; if they don't take early wickets today, this game is slipping away really, really quickly."
Ricky Ponting thinks England might only want to bat ONCE in this Test match! 👀 pic.twitter.com/KKx1bgSAlY
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 25, 2025
The former Australian great further mentioned how the batting conditions would deteriorate going forward in the game and pointed out that England might hope to post a huge first-innings lead, putting India under pressure.
"England, I am sure, would have gone to bed last night, thinking about the possibility of only batting once in this Test match. They wanna bat long today, get through the day, get a huge first innings total," he added.
READ: ‘Opening partnership was destructive’ – Aakash Chopra critiques India’s passive bowling on Day 2
With Joe Root and Ollie Pope still at the crease and the long batting lineup, England will look to score above 600 and bat India out of the game. India, on the other hand, would be keen to restrict England for as little as possible.
IND vs. ENG 4th Test: Betting odds
England are strong favourites to win the fourth Test at Old Trafford according to Dafabet's odds.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| India | 12.50 |
| England | 1.02 |