Manchester: India arrived for a five-test series, with the first drawn on a lifeless Trent Bridge wicket since rated as "poor" by the International Cricket Council, who duly warned The England and Wales Cricket Board. At Lord's for the second test, Ishant Sharma induced a batting capitulation by bouncing out the England middle and lower order on day five for test-best figures of 7-74, just as the hosts fell 95 short of the target. India won the historic test at Lord's after 28 years.
Until the third test at the Rose Bowl in Southampton, it had been a desperate year for all involved with England cricket. Attempting to rebuild the team after a 5-0 Ashes whitewash in Australia which had decimated confidence, England lost a one-day and test series to Sri Lanka.
But something changed in the third test. England's bowlers were consistent in line and length, its batsmen produced huge innings and every session belonged to the home side, as it defeated India by 266 runs for its first test win in almost a year.
The teams head to Old Trafford in Manchester, knowing what the other is capable of. Will India stifle any resurgence in confidence from England and retake a lead in the series, or will England now continue to reach the benchmark it set itself in Southampton?
Here are five things to know ahead of the fourth test at Old Trafford:
