Arshdeep Singh is likely to miss the fourth Test match between India and England, set to be played at Old Trafford in Manchester starting July 23. According to a report by The Indian Express, the left-arm pacer suffered a cut on his bowling hand during a training session on Thursday. The injury occurred when Arshdeep tried to stop a shot played by Sai Sudharsan during his follow-through. The wound required stitches, which has now cast serious doubt over his availability.
A source told The Indian Express, “He has stitches on his hand and is likely won’t be available for the fourth Test match. The Indian team will see if he is ready for the fifth Test or not.”
Although Arshdeep is yet to make his Test debut, he was being considered for selection if the team management opted to rest one of the frontline pacers.
India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate also addressed the issue, stating, “Arshdeep took a ball while he was bowling there, Sai hit a ball and he tried to stop it and it’s just a cut. So we have to see how bad the cut is. Obviously, the medical team have taken him off to see a doctor and obviously, if he needs stitches or doesn’t need stitches it’s going to be important to our planning for the next few days.”
Meanwhile, concerns also remain over Akash Deep’s fitness. The fast bowler is dealing with a groin niggle and did not bowl during India’s nets session before the team’s departure for Manchester. Akash Deep has had injury troubles in the past, having missed both the 2024 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the 2025 IPL season due to fitness issues. During the third Test at Lord’s, Akash Deep walked off the field holding his waist and grimacing in pain during England’s innings. Although he returned later in the match, he did not bowl again that day.
To complicate matters further for India, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant is also under observation after injuring his index finger while attempting to collect a Jasprit Bumrah delivery on Day 1 of the third Test. Pant did not take the field for the rest of the match and his availability for the Manchester Test is still uncertain. With multiple injury concerns looming, the Indian team faces a selection dilemma ahead of the fourth Test in Manchester.
England Squad: Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
India Squad:
Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc, wk), Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Prasidh Krishna, KL Rahul (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar