India's predicted playing XI for the 4th T20I against England

The series is on the line for India as they take on England in the 4th T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The visitors recently took a 2-1 lead in the 5-match series with a comprehensive 8-wicket win in the 3rd T20I at the same venue.

India's batting lineup, especially the top order, hasn't been up to mark in this series so far. With the T20 World Cup on the horizon, Virat Kohli and the team management need to formulate a set of clear plans and identify their best possible playing XI.

Here is India's predicted playing XI for the 4th T20I against England.

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Openers: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul

KL Rahul has failed three times in this series already

Experimentation has been the name of the game for India with regards to the top order. Shikhar Dhawan opened the batting in the series opener, and was then dropped for Ishan Kishan. The young southpaw walked out to bat with KL Rahul in the 2nd T20I, but moved one spot down the order once Rohit Sharma returned.

For the 4th T20I, India could go a number of ways. They could opt to bring Dhawan back into the playing XI, and make him open the batting with long-time partner Rohit. They could also decide to move Kishan back up to an opening slot, where he scored a stellar fifty on debut.

But the most likely route for India to take is to back Rahul once again. The 28-year-old is India's highest-ranked T20I batsman, and although his game is a touch similar to Rohit's, he is one of the team's primary match-winners.

Both captain Virat Kohli and batting coach Vikram Rathour have thrown their weight behind Rahul. In the post-match presentation, Kohli claimed that Rahul will continue to bat in the top order.

“I was going through a lean patch two days back. He (KL Rahul) is a champion player, and he will continue to be one of our main batters along with Rohit Sharma. Before this (lean patch), if you see the numbers, he has been one of the best T20I batters in the world. T20 is an instinctive game, and it’s just a matter of five or six balls, and once a few shots come off…”

However, it is quite possible that India opt to restore Kishan at the top of the order and play Rahul at either No. 3 or No. 4.

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Middle Order: Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk)

What does India's ideal T20 middle order look like?

The middle order should also bear a familiar look.

Kishan, who walked in at No. 3 in the last game to create a left-right combination in the middle, should get another go in the top order. Kohli has scored consecutive T20I fifties for the first time since the 2016 T20 World Cup, and his form at No. 4 augurs extremely well for the side.

Shreyas Iyer played a face-saving knock in the 1st T20I, but competition in this Indian team is far too fierce for him to rest on his laurels from two games ago. If he gets the opportunity to bat a number of balls in the 4th T20I, he needs to grab it with both hands.

Rishabh Pant has gotten a start in each of the three games in this series so far, but he has failed to capitalise due to a couple of careless shots and a run-out. Another player who needs to put in a significant contribution, the 23-year-old could be one to watch out for in the 4th T20I.

This means that Suryakumar Yadav, who didn't get a chance to bat on debut, might find himself on the bench again due to no fault of his own.

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All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar

Hardik Pandya is slowly getting back to full fitness

Hardik Pandya and Washington Sundar should retain their places in the Indian team for the 4th T20I. While both players have been decent with the ball in hand, they'll want to contribute a bit more in the batting department - provided they get time in the middle.

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Bowlers: Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rahul Chahar

Yuzvendra Chahal hasn't been in the best of form recently

Shardul Thakur hasn't done too much wrong over the past few games for India, but the pacer was a tad inconsistent with his lines and lengths in the 3rd T20I. Although it would be a bit harsh for him to be dropped based on just one poor performance, India might bring in either Navdeep Saini or Deepak Chahar.

Chahar has been fairly impressive in the T20I format barring a slightly indifferent tour of Australia, and he might get the nod ahead of Saini. The Rajasthan born-pacer will share new-ball responsibilities with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and both quicks could make the most of the swing on offer in Ahmedabad.

The other change India might make is to bring in Rahul Chahar in place of the struggling Yuzvendra Chahal.

The country's leading wicket-taker in T20I cricket has had a poor series by his standards - he has been expensive and has picked up only 3 wickets. Barring his Man of the Match performance after coming in as a concussion substitute for Ravindra Jadeja Down Under, Chahal hasn't put in a noteworthy showing in the recent past for India.

Rahul Chahar, who was called up to the squad after Rahul Tewatia and Varun Chakravarthy failed fitness tests, might be in line to play his 2nd T20I. If Tewatia is fit and available for selection, however, we might see him make his international debut.