India Vs England: Wankhede Stadium to host first Test after Tendulkar's farewell match

Mumbai, Dec 7: An upbeat Indian cricket team will be locking horns with England on Thurday (Dec 8) in the fourth Test match against at Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium.

Series schedule; Photos

Having already taken a 2-0 unassailable lead against Alastair Cook and his men, Virat Kohli and company would be eying to win the Mumbai Test too and clinch series.

First Test at Wankehede after Sachin Tendulkar's retirement:

Wankhede Stadium will be hosting a Test match after a gap of 3 long years. The last time a Test match played on this ground was way back in November 2013 when cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar played his career's 200th and also the last Test.

A lot of water has flown down the river since then, but it would be the first time in years when Wankhede would not be reverberating with the chants of local lad 'Sachin Sachin'.

Preview: 4th Test: India Vs England

Sachin played his last Test here on November 14, 2013 in front of home spectators. The cricketing legend scored 74 as India won the second Test by an innings and 126 runs.

Also, it will be first time after 1994 when Sachin Tendulkar will not be playing a Test match in front of the Mumbai crowd.

England's good performance at Mumbai:

In their last two Test meetings at the Wankhede, England had prevailed over India and the 2012 Test match will always be remembered as one where Kevin Pietersen played perhaps one of the finest knocks by an overseas batsman on Indian soil.

England have won some epic games at this venue, including the India-England ODI series final in 2006 where Flintoff removed & waved his shirt in air. And who would forget the 3rd test match of 2006 series which England won by 212 runs.

Thursday's Test match gives India a chance to exact revenge for the two earlier defeats and also make the Chennai Test inconsequential.

Problems gallore for England:

England's woes have started because Cook's form has dipped along with that of their other main batsman, Joe Root, after Rajkot and they will take comfort from the fact that it was at the Wankhede that Cook thrived four years ago in the company of Kevin Pietersen to mark a turnaround in the series.

The good news for them is Stuart Broad's expected return to full fitness after having taken almost a fortnight to recover from his foot injury sustained in the Visakhapatnam Test match.

Another record beckons Team India at Wankhede:

India are now just one short of equaling their own unbeaten record of 17 games without a loss, set between 1985 and 1987 and would be keen to repeat the three-decade old record and wrap up the series with one game in hand. The stretch started on September 14, 1985 with a drawn Test against Sri Lanka at Candy and remained till March 9, 1987 during the drawn Test against Pakistan at Ahmedabad.

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