India vs England: Gill & Co. pumped up as it’s time for the fifth Act at The Oval

It’s not a series decider — hosts England, up 2-1 after four Tests, cannot lose the series, irrespective of the outcome in the fifth Test at The Oval starting on Thursday, 31 July. An upbeat Shubman Gill & Co. will, however, fancy their chances of a 2–2 scoreline.

The talk around town may be all about the tension boiling over after head coach Gautam Gambhir’s finger-wagging act with Lee Curtis — an overbearing groundsman with a history — and England skipper Ben Stokes’ spurned handshake during the mandatory overs of the fourth Test. Well, these may help spice up the contest for viewers; but with plenty to play for for both teams, a new-look India will look to derive more from this tour yet.

Oh, there’s the inevitable ifs and buts to say that the boot could easily have been on the other foot in terms of that scoreline, but the positives that this Indian squad has derived from the series have been humongous.

There have been often quirky selection decisions on the parts of Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar — the most conspicuous one being the summoning of seamer Anshul Kamboj and doing him more disservice, but also this so-called obsession with batting depth that saw Kuldeep Yadav cooling his heels in the dugout despite the dry surface available at a number of venues.

However, the four Tests have seen virtually everyone putting their hands up from time to time, though the captain's form has been superhuman in particular. He has set a new record for the most runs scored by an Indian batter in a series against England (722), surpassing teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal's tally of 712 from 2023–24. And at The Oval, he could eclipse Sunil Gavaskar's all-time India series record of 774 runs, set in a four-match series against the West Indies in 1971.

A major conundrum still persists with the case of Jasprit Bumrah, the ace in the pack, who has already played the three Tests as decided and will be sitting out the final one. The buzz is we're likely to finally hand a Test debut to left-arm bowler Arshdeep Singh, already a seasoned pro at 25 years, who unfortunately missed out at the Old Trafford with a freak hand injury sustained while trying to stop a ball at the nets.

Even as one brushes away the rumours of Bumrah contemplating an early retirement from red ball cricket, though, it’s high time a viable option is kept ready, as he will certainly pick and choose the number of matches he plays, going forward.

“He (Arshdeep) has been told to be prepared,” Gill said at the pre-match press conference.

The young captain also addressed the team’s spin options, saying India are comfortable going in with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar even though England has not picked a frontline spinner. “We are confident in Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar to handle spin duties effectively,” Gill stated.

With the turf wearing a greenish tinge, this could mean bad news for Kuldeep Yadav, as the team management may want to persist with Shardul Thakur as the additional pacer.

England rejigs its attack

The biggest thorn in India’s flesh in the series, Stokes, has been ruled out of the final Test with a troubling shoulder injury. Vice-captain Ollie Pope will step in as the stand-in captain.

The hosts, keeping in mind the quick turnaround between the Tests, have taken a fresh look at their bowling attack, with Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Jacob Bethell being named in the playing XI in place of Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Liam Dawson.

Asked about the recent barrage of on-field tension, including Gill’s own rant at the Lord’s, it was a far more diplomatic captain who responded this time.

‘’The relationship is fantastic,’’ he said. ‘’When you’re on the field, you’re trying to win; both teams have been very competitive and sometimes in the heat of the moment, things happen. But once the match is over, there is mutual respect so there are no regrets for anything that has happened on the field.’’

Catch the match

England vs India

Fifth Test at The Oval, London

Start: 3.30 pm