Shubman Gill Eyes Sunil Gavaskar’s 46-Year Record In Final Test: India has a big chance to finish their UK tour on a strong note, especially with England missing two key players. Captain Ben Stokes is out due to a muscle tear in his right shoulder, and fast bowler Jofra Archer has been rested after playing back-to-back games.
England Suffer Major Blows Ahead of Fifth Test Against India
Pacer Brydon Carse and left-arm spinner Liam Dawson are also being rested.
Ben Stokes has been a game-changer in the series, scoring 304 runs and taking 17 wickets. But more than the stats, it’s his leadership and fighting spirit that England will miss the most at The Oval. He’s the kind of player who lifts the team when things get tough.
Now, stand-in captain Ollie Pope has a big job ahead of him. India, even without pace ace Jasprit Bumrah, will be looking to go all out for a win.
This series has been a great advertisement for Test cricket. All four matches so far have gone into the final session on Day 5. There’s been plenty of action and drama, too. From Shubman Gill’s argument with Zak Crawley at Lord’s over time-wasting, to Ravindra Jadeja refusing to back down on the last day at Old Trafford, things have stayed intense.
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The build-up to the final Test has only gotten more heated. Gautam Gambhir even got into an argument with Oval curator Lee Fortis two days before the match.
Shubman Gill Eyes Historic Milestone in Final Test
With all this going on, the series is set up perfectly for a thrilling finish. Shubman Gill, in his first series as captain, has a shot at making history. With 722 runs so far, Shubman Gill is just 52 short of Sunil Gavaskar’s record for the most runs by an Indian in a Test series. He also needs 11 more to break Gavaskar’s record for most runs by an Indian captain in a series (732 runs in 1978–79 vs West Indies).
Shubman Gill has been in top form, scoring four centuries, including a double hundred and a crucial 103 to save the last Test. After a few low scores, that knock at Old Trafford showed his maturity and leadership.
India has momentum going into the last match, but there are still some gaps to fill. KL Rahul has been reliable at the top with 511 runs. However, the team will hope for better performances from Yashasvi Jaiswal and number three Sai Sudharsan, especially on a pitch that usually supports batters.
In the absence of Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja are likely to take spots in the top six. Both played key roles with unbeaten centuries in the previous match that helped India draw the game.
Dhruv Jurel will keep wickets and is likely to bat at seven. Shardul Thakur is expected to stay in the XI, although he hasn’t completely won the captain’s trust.
India prefers having batting depth until number eight. Because of this, Kuldeep Yadav might be left out again, even though many fans have been asking for his inclusion.
As batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said, “Overall, if you play with 6 bowlers, then some bowlers will under-bowl. So, if that 6th bowler is an all-rounder, then you know that he will contribute in batting and in bowling as well.”
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In the bowling department, Akash Deep is likely to replace Bumrah, who is being rested. Mohammed Siraj will lead the attack, and the third pacer could be either Prasidh Krishna or Arshdeep Singh, who is still waiting for his Test debut.
The Oval pitch has been high-scoring recently. In the last County match here, Surrey scored over 800 runs. But with so much on the line, how the pitch behaves in this Test will be a big factor.
ENG vs IND Teams For The Final Test Match At The Oval:
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue.
India: Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj, Arshdeep Singh, N Jagadeesan (WK).
Match Starts: 3:30 pm IST.
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