England vs India 5th Test Match: The last Test of the India vs England 5 match series will be played at Kennington Oval from Thursday 31 July to 4 August 2025. This Test is a do or die match for India, as England is currently leading 2-1 in the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy. If the series is to be leveled, then India will have to win this match at all costs.
This series has also breathed new life into Test cricket. This series, being played in packed stadiums, has also been a perfect advertisement for Test cricket, with all four matches going on till the final session of the fifth day. Meanwhile, there were some verbal spats between the players of both the teams on several occasions, which made the series more interesting. Whether it was Shubman Gill's sharp attack against Jack Crowley who was deliberately wasting time at Lord's or Ravindra Jadeja's refusal to cancel the match despite Ben Stokes' displeasure on the last day of the fourth Test, both the teams have left no stone unturned to dominate each other.
Team India's batsmen showed great courage to save the Manchester Test. Indian batsmen have been in form in this series. However, India's biggest problem in the last Test will be the selection of bowlers. Indian bowlers failed in the last Test. At the same time, Team India can come with a new bowling line up in the last Test.
Jasprit Bumrah's Unavailability
Team India's star bowler Jaspreet Bumrah will not play the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England. This claim has been made in the report of 'Cricinfo'. It has been said that the medical team of BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has told Bumrah that this decision has been taken keeping in mind the safety of his back and his long-term career.
However, this decision is not surprising, because it was already decided that Bumrah would play only three out of five Tests on the England tour. Bumrah played the first Test at Headingley (Leeds), did not play the second Test at Edgbaston (Birmingham) (which India won), then he played the next two Test matches held at Lord's and Old Trafford.
Akash Deep may play in the fifth Test in place of Jasprit Bumrah. This was indicated in Team India's optional practice session on Tuesday. Akash Deep could not play the fourth Test due to a groin injury, but he was seen in good rhythm in the nets and was swinging the ball well on the green pitch.
Akash performed brilliantly in the second Test played at Edgbaston (which was his first Test after Melbourne). He took 10 wickets in the match, including 6 wickets in England's second innings, which was his career best performance.
Dhruv Jurel may Replace Rishabh Pant
There is very little chance of any change in batting except Rishabh Pant. Pant is out of the series due to a broken toe. In such a situation, Dhruv Jurel may get a chance in his place. In Pant's absence, he has done wicketkeeping on many occasions in this series and has played his role well. Apart from this, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar are also sure to play. Both of them batted brilliantly even in adverse conditions to save the Test in Manchester.
Ben Stokes Ruled Out from 5th Test
England captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the fifth and final Test against India due to a right shoulder injury, with Ollie Pope named as stand-in captain for the deciding Test at The Oval. Stokes injured his shoulder during the fourth Test, where he picked up five wickets in the first innings and scored a marathon 141 when batting.
England Playing-11: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (C), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue.
India's Squad for 5th Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, B. Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Anshul Kamboj, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Karun Nair, N Jagadeesan (wk), Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.
The Oval Pitch Report
The pitch of Kennington Oval ground is considered a paradise for batsmen. Batsmen generally like it a lot. Recently a county match was played here, where both the teams scored around 1500 runs in the entire match. If we look at its history, big scores have often been made here. If we look at the average score of the first innings on this ground, it is 343 runs. However, weather conditions can affect it because the nature of the pitch changes with the weather.
Since 1932, India has won only two out of the 15 Tests played on this ground. It has lost six while seven matches have ended in a draw. Three of the six defeats have come by an innings margin. However, the last time Team India faced England on this ground, it won.
