India vs England Live Streaming 4th ODI 2013, Ind vs Eng Live

Some 15 months back, when England last squared off against India here at the PCA Stadium, they desperately needed a victory to stay alive in that five-match One-day International series.

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In October 2011, England were trailing 0-2 coming into the third game, and believed they had done enough to retain interest in the series after amassing 298 for 4. India, though, found their heroes in Ajinkya Rahane and the rest of the top order as they raced to a five-wicket win to sew up the series 3-0.

Going into the fourth ODI on Wednesday (today), England find themselves 1-2 behind, this despite having taken a 1-0 advantage with a nervy nine-run win in Rajkot, aware that if they don’t bring their ‘A’ game to the table, the first ever ODI at Dharamsala on January 27 will be of little more than academic interest.

On the face of it, everything has fallen in place nicely for an English revival. After being outplayed in Kochi, batting second when the spinners found considerable assistance from the surface, and in Ranchi when the top order imploded for the second time in as many games, England are quietly confident that the reputation of the PCA Stadium surface as a pacer-friendly one and the colder climes that should assist swing will be allies as they attempt to draw level 2-2.

It’s a confidence they would do well to temper, because if England believe they have the pacers to exploit assistance, then so do India. It won’t be presumptuous to suggest that Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami Ahmed have consistently, as a unit, outbowled Steven Finn and Jade Dernbach, whose place in the XI is tenuous, in the last two games.

Shami did not play in Rajkot, but between them, he and Bhuvneshwar have figures of 6 for 168 from 39 overs, for an average of 28 and an economy of 4.31. By contrast, Finn and Dernbach have collective analyses of 8 for 351 from 53.1 overs, which translates into an average of 43.88 and a staggering economy rate of 6.61.

England possess a strong, powerful middle order, but the top three haven’t done enough consistently for the middle to build on. In Rajkot, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell put on 158 for the first wicket, powering England to 325 for 4. Since then, England’s openers as well as Kevin Pietersen, at No 3, have failed to get going, significantly responsible for less than impressive team tallies of 158 and 155.