IND vs ENG 5th Test: Shubman Gill’s India will take on England in the fifth and final Test of an epic series at the Kennington Oval in London. With the series currently standing at 2-1 in England’s favour, a win for India will level the series 2-2. However, if England wins, they’ll seal the series 3-1. India come into this match riding high on confidence after clawing a draw from the jaws of defeat in Manchester. To share the trophy, they must win the final Test. With Ben Stokes ruled out of the fifth Test due to a biceps tendon injury, Ollie Pope will lead England in his absence.
India’s Epic Fightback In Manchester Test Match
Special centuries from Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar were helped India secure a hard-fought draw in Manchester. KL Rahul’s gritty 90 also played a vital role. However, ahead of the decider, there are concerns around India’s bowling unit. Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah is likely to miss the match due to workload management. In his place, left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh is expected to make his Test debut, while Akash Deep is also in contention.
IND vs ENG 5th Test: Injury Updates
Ben Stokes (England): Ruled out due to a biceps tendon injury.
Rishabh Pant (India): Ruled out after suffering a toe fracture in the previous Test.
Jasprit Bumrah (India): Likely to be rested; Akash Deep may replace him in the XI.
IND vs ENG 5th Test: Pitch Report
A big talking point ahead of the match is the heated exchange between India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and The Oval’s pitch curator. Right now, the pitch looks green, which could favour the fast bowlers. However, some of the grass is likely to be trimmed before the match begins. Since 2019, the average score in each of the four innings in Test matches at The Oval has been under 300. While county matches at this ground have seen big scores this summer, Test matches here usually give bowlers an early advantage.
Average 1st innings score at The Oval: 343
Bowler-friendly conditions expected
Oval Weather Report: Rain To Play Spoilsport in the Decider 5th Test?
The weather forecast isn’t very promising. Cloudy conditions and light rain are expected across all five days of the Test. Temperatures will be between 14°C and 24°C, with wind speeds of up to 13 km/h and humidity around 88%.
IND vs ENG 5th Test Match Details
Date: July 30
Toss Time: 3:00 PM IST
Match Time: 3:30 PM IST
Venue: The Oval, London
Live Streaming in India: Available on the JioCinema and Hotstar apps and websites
IND vs ENG Records
Shubman Gill: Needs just 1 run to break Garry Sobers’ record for most runs (722 in 1966) in a Test series in SENA countries by an overseas captain.
KL Rahul: With 511 runs in the series, Rahul is second only to Gill and is closing in on Sunil Gavaskar’s record for most runs by an Indian opener in England. Rahul currently has 1108 runs in England from 15 Tests. Gavaskar had scored 1152 runs Rahul needs 45 more to surpass him.
IND vs ENG 5th Test Toss: What Should Gill Do If India Win the Toss?
If India win the toss, they will likely choose to bowl first, as the cloudy conditions could help swing bowlers like Akashdeep and Arshdeep. England, too, would probably opt to bowl first if they win the toss for the same reason.
IND vs ENG Full Squads
India: Shubman Gill (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Anshul Kamboj, Narayan Jagadeesan (wk)
England: Ollie Pope (capt), Joe Root, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Jacob Bethell, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson, Chris Woakes, Jamie Overton
IND vs ENG: Playing XI For Oval Test
India’s Predicted Playing XI
KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh
England’s Confirmed Playing XI:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue
