Sam Curran set to miss England’s fourth Test against India

Sam Curran, the England all-rounder, is set to miss the fourth and final Test against India, scheduled to get underway on Thursday, March 4 at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed the news on Thursday, February 18.

The southpaw will leave for India on February 26 through a chartered flight, but won’t be making the cut for the fourth Test. However, the Surrey cricketer is expected to be a part of the national squad for the ODI and T20I series, scheduled to start on Friday, March 12.

“Sam Curran will rejoin the England squad via the charter flight carrying other members of the limited-overs line-up to India, on February 26th,” an official statement was quoted as saying.

Earlier, it was learned that Curran was given some break as he was a tad exhausted from staying in ‘bio-secure bubbles’ ever since international cricket resumed in July 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Team England squad for last two Tests

Joe Root (C), James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Dominic Bess, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Ben Foakes (WK), Dan Lawrence, Jake Leach, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes (VC), Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

Sam Curran ready to face challenges

Earlier, Curran, who made his international debut back in 2018, stated that playing in India has its own set of challenges. He sounded hopeful of adjusting to the conditions at the earliest and contribute to his team.

“I haven’t played any red-ball cricket in India, so it’s going to be a very different challenge and something I’m excited about.

“I watch a lot of Test cricket in India on TV when they are playing, so I’m really looking forward to hopefully getting out there and getting in the nets and adapting to those conditions and taking on the challenge,” Curran was quoted as saying in Sportstar.

The four-match Test is currently level at 1-1. Joe Root and Co started with a thumping 227-run victory in the opening Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

The hosts came back with a 317-run win in the second Test at the Chepauk itself. The third Test gets underway on Wednesday, February 24 in Ahmedabad.