Who Is Dan Lawrence? England Batter in Line to Replace Jonny Bairstow in 4th Test vs India

For the fourth India vs. England Test match in Ranchi, Dan Lawrence, a young batsman from Essex, may start in lieu of Jonny Bairstow. Throughout the series, Bairstow has had trouble finding his form and has never seemed comfortable playing against the Indian spinners. He might be replaced by Lawrence, who has already visited India.

Dan grew up in the flat built into the Chingford Pavilion with his brother Tom. The clubhouse bar would be just a few yards away from Dan's residence when he was older. When they were boys, Mark would tend to the square while Dan and Tom played on the outfield.

Who Is Dan Lawrence?

That time Dan Lawrence took 38 off an over pic.twitter.com/G3HDsG35zU

— No Context County Cricket (@NoContextCounty) January 19, 2026

His ability to bowl off-spin and share responsibility with Joe Root strengthens his argument even more.  When Lawrence made his debut in Sri Lanka in 2021, he began his Test career with a half-century in Galle and was immediately regarded as a prodigy and one of the bright spots in English cricket. Despite his occasional flashes of genius, he has been unable to establish himself in England's starting lineup. 

Lawrence kept getting better, and 2017 was one of his best years since the Cricket Writers' Club named him the Young Cricketer of the Year for his incredible performance, which included three hundreds and 761 runs at an average of 44.76. He was instrumental in Essex winning the County Championship for the first time in twenty-five years. In addition, he made his England Lions debut and was chosen for a Lions training camp in Australia.

He became a match-winner in limited-over formats, but his first-class cricket performances dipped a little. He achieved his first List A century in 2018 and played a key role in Essex's victory in the T20 Blast.

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