After recording a hard-fought draw in the fourth Test against England in Manchester, it is expected that some bold changes will be made to the side's playing XI for the fifth and final match of the series. The upcoming Test between the two teams is set to be held at The Oval in London and will commence from July 31.
According to a report by The Indian Express, India head coach Gautam Gambhir will be making as many as four changes to the side's playing XI for the fifth Test. Veteran batter Karun Nair is likely to make a return to the XI after getting dropped for the fourth Test. The 33-year-old is expected to replace Shardul Thakur from the team while on the other hand, Dhruv Jurel is set to come into the team in place of Rishabh Pant, who ended up fracturing his toe in the previous match at Old Trafford.
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Elsewhere, both Jasprit Bumrah and Anshul Kamboj are expected to be rested for the penultimate match with Akash Deep likely to take one of their places. The Men in Blue will have to make a choice between seamers Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna, however as per the report, the former is once again expected to be snubbed from the XI and if this happens, then he would fly back to India after the tour without making any appearance for the side.
Kuldeep is expected to not feature in 5th Test
Additionally, the report stated that Kuldeep Yadav will also not be making it to the playing XI as the team management will be continuing with the spin-bowling duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Both of them are considered an important part of the playing XI especially after their sensational batting displays in the Manchester Test.
Meanwhile, India trail England by 2-1 in the series heading into the fifth Test. Though the Men in Blue lost all chances of triumphing in the series by drawing the previous match at Old Trafford, they still can manage to level it up if they record a victory at The Oval. However, the Three Lions will definitely be the favourites to lift the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy as even a draw in the final game will see them win the series.
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India's likely playing XI vs England, 5th Test: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, B Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj.