Shubman Gill-led India will play against Ollie Pope-led England in the fifth and final Test of the tense five-match Anderson-Tendulkar series between India and England. The theatrics involved in the ODI conquest at Kennington Oval will have provided the Indian team the incentive to even out the series after the superior 2-1 lead earned by the Englishmen after they won the match at Old Trafford.
England had created early superiority by winning the first Test at Headingley by five wickets, but India blasted this right back in their faces by winning the second Test at Edgbaston by 336 runs. Following the dramatic 22-run triumph at Lord’s and their recent draw at Manchester, England now stands at 2-1 in the series and advances to the last test game at The Oval.
England vs India, 5th Test: Match Details
| Match | India vs England, 5th Test |
|---|---|
| Venue | Kennington Oval |
| Date & Time (IST) | July 31-Aug 4, 3:30 PM |
| Live Broadcast and Streaming Details | JioStar Network Channels, JioHotstar (App & Website) |
England vs India, 5th Test: Pitch Report
Kennington Oval became controversial after Gautam Gambhir, who is the head coach of the India team, engaged in a verbal confrontation against the pitch curator. Two days prior to the game the surface was quite green but certain bits of grass will be cut in the evening just before the game. The pitches are highly favorable towards the bowlers and pace bowlers more than the spinners because of the extra aid of the new Dukes cherry.
England vs India, 5th Test: Weather Report
The weather in London seems to be good to play cricket since it is expected to rain a little over the five days. The weather will have a maximum of 22°C and a minimum of 15°C with comfortable playing conditions between the two teams during the playing time of the match.
England vs India, 5th Test: Toss Report
It is expected that both the captains would want to bowl first on a surface that looks to be favoring seamers, more so taking into consideration that the delicious green grass would give the fast bowlers further advantage on the opening day.
England vs India, 5th Test: Team Analysis
India Strengths:
Although India is already down in the series 2-1, they are still not out of fighting spirit, and their capacity to deliver match-winning performances in a cracking pressure situation was evident in their performance in Edgbaston. The captaincy of Captain Shubman Gill is experienced during the whole series, and his consistency as a batter creates a sense of stability in problematic situations. Their pace attack is also enhanced by the presence of Akash Deep.
The opening pair of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal has flashed performances that bring the spark of brilliance, as both of them can offer an anchor to the team. The balance brought into the side by the all-round abilities of Ravindra Jadeja and the budding spin bowling menace of Washington Sundar helps immensely.
India Weaknesses:
Coming down to the 2-1 series disadvantage, it places an extreme strain on a team that needs to win so as to salvage some pride and not get routed by a huge series margin. The middle-Order batting is still not consistent, as they have depended a lot on Gill and the lower-order runs. The aspect of the team that, when put under pressure, tends to fail has been very clear in key moments of the series.
The fielding standards of India have been up and down and they have lost the situations they should have benefited from. The mental presence of competing in a dead rubber, even if it is to stamp series respectability, may influence the level of motivation and the efforts shown by the players.
England Strengths:
England comes into this with the luxury of the unassailable 2-1 lead in the series and can play without any inhibition or fear. Their batting lineup is still anchored by the excellent form of Joe Root, whilst the pace attack of Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, and Gus Atkinson perfectly suits the home conditions. Jamie Smith has also helped with the wicket-keeping and his work at the lower end of the batting.
The leadership moment of the captain, Ollie Pope, is timely as the team has already won the series. They have been on the offensive with their style of play, ‘Bazball,’ that has worked so well in this series thus far and they have The Oval in their favor, where they have the home advantage.
England Weaknesses:
The lure to mix and match the series that have already been conquered has the potential to destabilize their winning spirit and rhythm. They have an aggressive approach to the bat but this will cause the unnecessary collapse when a pitch will support the bowlers a lot. Middle-order reliance on Root and Brook to deliver high runs is also an issue.
England too has less experienced and capable spinners compared to India, which has already demonstrated its trials. The leadership group will need to handle the pressure of keeping their current superior place and not be complacent against an Indian team that is desperate with some skill, as well as needing to find something to hang their hats upon.
England vs India, 5th Test: Key Players
India:
Shubman Gill: The skipper has the solid burden of propelling India to get some respect back in the series that would end up defining his career. His consistency as a batter through the series and his batting ability under pressure playing against a team that is on the brink of losing the series will be very important in inspiring other members on the team. With both bat and tactical astuteness, Gill will have to lead by example and can either dictate whether India will draw the series on a positive note or not.
Mohammed Siraj: India will have pace-spearhead Siraj, who has to have a great match to utilize the seam-friendly conditions of the Oval. His mastery of the reverse swing and English conditions experience turned out to be the main weapon of India in providing a breather. After losing the series, Siraj has nothing to lose but professional reputation and pride, so playing the final Test will be the key.
England:
Joe Root: The batting genius is on a rampage in the current series and we can expect him to end the series on a winning note. He has a huge amount of experience with a track record to back up against Indian bowling and is therefore the mainstay of England batting plans. Root has the capacity to build innings that would define the match, which may enable England to have a comprehensive series victory.
Jofra Archer: The fast bowler and express pace Jofra Archer has also returned to Test cricket, and this has bolstered the England bowling lineup. He is a dangerous counterattack on the Indian batting lineup with his pace and capability of extracting bounce out of The Oval pitch. The fitness and form of Archer would play a big part in the plans of England to make it a clean sweep in wrapping up the series.
England vs India, 5th Test: Probable Playing XIs
India: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
England: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson.
England vs India Test: Updated Head-to-Head Records
Total Test Series Played: 36
England Wins: 17
India Wins: 11
Drawn Series: 8
Current Series Status: England leads 2-1
England vs India, 5th Test: Dream 11 Prediction
Wicket-Keeper: Dhruv Jurel, Jamie Smith
Batters: Shubman Gill (c), Joe Root (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Harry Brook
All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Chris Woakes, Shardul Thakur
Bowlers: Mohammed Siraj, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson
England vs India Test: Full Squad
India squad: Shubman Gill (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana.
England squad: Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ben Stokes, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson.
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