Beleaguered England bid to keep India series alive as tour moves on to Mumbai
England need to secure victory in this week’s fourth test but defeat will raise further questions about Alastair Cook’s future as captain
England are bidding to keep the India series alive with victory in this week’s fourth test in Mumbai but defeat will raise further questions about Alastair Cook’s future as captain.
The visitors must win at the Wankhede Stadium to stop top-ranked India from sealing the five-test series with a match to spare following two consecutive defeats.
Virat Kohli’s side won by eight wickets in Mohali last week to take an unbeatable 2-0 series lead after victory in Viskhapatnam followed a draw in the first test at Rajkot.
His future as captain has been in doubt since he admitted just before the tour that he could quit at the end of the test series because he was finding it hard to be apart from his family for long periods.
After becoming a father for a second time last month, the 31-year-old left-handed opener said he found the long England tours difficult, while insisting he remained deeply proud of captaining his country.