Fourth Test will be a 'bigger mental battle' – Sourav Ganguly

After going 2-0 down in the five-match series, following reversals at Edgbaston and Lord’s, India seemed down and out, especially given the manner of their innings defeat in the second Test.

However, at Trent Bridge in the third Test, India rung in the changes – Murali Vijay was dropped for Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik made way for the young Rishabh Pant, and importantly, the fit-again Jasprit Bumrah took the place of Kuldeep Yadav.

India went on to win the Test by 203 runs, and kept the series alive.

“The fourth Test will not only be a battle between bat and ball. There will be a bigger mental battle,” Ganguly wrote in his column in The Times of India. “India, with [Virat] Kohli leading the way, have stepped away from the edge of a series loss, and they will be obviously buoyant. But, at the same time, (they) shouldn’t overdo it.

“(They) staged a forceful and decisive comeback at Trent Bridge, which has opened up the series and the pressure is fully back on England. It was India’s mindset which stood out, as they confronted England and caught [Joe] Root and company unawares.”

A large reason for that, Ganguly believes, was the performance of the openers. In the first two Tests, the openers succumbed to the new ball, and exposed the middle order early.

However, Dhawan and KL Rahul added 60 runs for the opening wicket in each innings in Nottingham, and significantly eased the task for the middle order.

“The openers laid the foundation by putting on 50-plus in both the innings,” Ganguly wrote. “They survived the new ball, didn’t let the English bowlers make early inroads, put runs on the board and sent a message to the dressing-room that if you want to, you can stay put.

"The Indian batting, which is their biggest strength, finally came to the party and Dhawan, Rahul, [Cheteshwar] Pujara, and [Ajinkya] Rahane showed their mettle. For Dhawan, the knock in Trent Bridge should be a huge boost for him when he plays Tests away.”

There was also praise for the Indian pace attack in general, and Bumrah in particular. The unorthodox paceman picked five wickets in the second innings and visibly troubled the English batsman, and Ganguly, for one, was delighted.

“Trent Bridge was supposed to have been a happy hunting ground for [Jimmy] Anderson and [Stuart] Broad, but it was the other way around," said Ganguly. “The way Bumrah, [Hardik] Pandya and Ishant [Sharma] bowled, it was indeed a treat for the connoisseurs of fast bowling.

“The length was outstanding as they pitched the ball up all the time. Bumrah is such a great addition to the side, continuing to show that if you can bring the ball back in to the right-hander, you will always be a threat.”