Manchester, July 26 -- Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting is expecting India to put up a stubborn fight in the last two days of the fourth Test on Manchester's wearing-out strip in a bid to keep the series alive.

India find themselves in a challenging spot, with England posting 544/7 by stumps on Day 3 and taking a commanding 186-run lead. With the surface showing significant wear and tear, the visitors will need to stage a strong comeback to keep the series alive.

While assessing the current situation, Ponting has deemed England as "red-hot favourites" but expects India to put up a fight, considering their past experience of playing on worn-out pitches.

"I thought England were red-hot favourites this morning if the first session w...