Manchester and Old Trafford have not spelt success for Indian cricket. And with the visitors trailing 1-2 in the series, it will take something extraordinary for Gill and Co to conjure up a win to keep the series alive.
India have a forgettable record at Old Trafford with four losses and five draws in the 9 Tests at the venue since 1936.
To reverse this trend at the iconic venue, where Sachin Tendulkar scored his maiden Test ton (the last time an Indian scored a century at the ground) when he was 17, India will have to pull out all stops with bat and ball.
But they face more than a few dilemmas heading into the 4th Test.
Old Trafford is traditionally known to offer something for the bowlers, hence resting pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is the last thing on the team management's minds.
Indian Records at Old Trafford
Bumrah registered five-wicket hauls in both the Tests he played on this tour of England, though India lost both in Leeds and Lord's.
'It's pretty obvious that the series is on the line now in Manchester, so there will be a leaning towards playing him,' Assistant Coach Ryan ten Doeschate told reporters after a training session on Thursday.
'But again, we have got to look at all the factors: how many days of cricket are we going to get up there, what do we feel is our best chance of winning that game, and then how that fits in together with the Oval.'
Mohammed Siraj will be the other vital cog in India's squad, having picked 13 wickets so far in the series.
Siraj has bowled 109 overs across the three Tests, and there will be more to come in Manchester.
With the Old Trafford pitch expected to aid spinners as the match wears out, Kuldeep Yadav could get a look in.
India will need the services of a specialist spinner on a turning track and Nitish Kumar Reddy could just make way for the left-arm wrist spinner.
Kuldeep has played only one Test in England, at Lord's in 2018, for a wicketless 9-over spell. But Old Trafford is a different beast, and for a man who has 21 wickets in six matches against England, it will be a massive loss if he is not played in a must-win encounter.
A longer rope for Karun Nair?
India's biggest headache will be the batting line-up. The top order has been the talking point with Karun Nair's failure to make the most of the starts he's got.
Across six innings in the ongoing series, Nair has managed 131 runs at an average of 21.83.
Nair batted at No. 3 at Lord's and looked solid scoring 40 and 14, but his inability to make his innings count will likely see him sit out of the 4th Test.
With Sai Sudharsan, who was dropped after his maiden outing at Leeds, and Abhimanyu Easwaran -- yet to make his Test debut -- warming the bench, the team management will have to make a strong assessment considering England will have Jofra Archer and he can spit fire.
Bengal batter Easwaran's first-class record screams runs, with 7,841 runs from 177 innings at an average of 48.70, including 27 centuries and 31 fifties. In the India A tour game in England preceding the Test series, Easwaran scored 167 runs in four innings at an average of 41.75, including two half centuries.
These numbers should be enough for the selectors to give the 29 year old a go at Test cricket and repose some faith in him.
With all the attention on Nair's failings, Yashasvi Jaiswal's poor outing at Lord's has flown under the radar.
With conditions demanding at Old Trafford, the young Indian opener will have to be watchful in his approach.
The Pant factor
Rishabh Pant, who got injured in the Lord's Test, batted through pain in both innings but did not keep wickets. Batting at No. 6, he scored 74 and 9.
Ten Doeschate on Thursday hinted that Pant, who is in cracking form, could play the forthcoming Test as a specialist batter.
With 425 runs at an average of 70.83 in six innings, India do not see sense in sidelining the batter, but will give him time to recover.
This move could see Dhruv Jurel make his way into the squad, probably at Nair's expense.
With rain pouring down in Manchester over the last 48 hours, it will interesting to see if the sun peaks out in time for the match that commences on July 23.
How India Fared At Old Trafford
| YEAR | RESULT |
|---|---|
| 1936 | MATCH DRAWN |
| 1946 | MATCH DRAWN |
| 1952 | LOST (By Innings and 207 Runs) |
| 1959 | LOST (By 171 Runs) |
| 1971 | MATCH DRAWN |
| 1974 | LOST (By 113 Runs) |
| 1982 | MATCH DRAWN |
| 1990 | MATCH DRAWN |
| 2014 | LOST (By Innings and 54 Runs) |
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