India has taken an unassailable lead of 3-1 in the series but with crucial ICC Test Championship points on offer, the fifth and final Test match at one of the world’s beautiful cricket stadiums, Dharamsala, will not be a dead rubber contest.
After going down in the first Test match at Hyderabad, India has bounced back like a wounded fighter. The Rohit Sharma-led have ticked the right boxes and have made the most of their conditions.
We look at the current form, head-to-head, players to look out for, and squads of both teams in our match preview.
Current form for India: W W W L W
India has won the crucial stages in the last three Test matches and thus they have the lead with them. The biggest positive for the home team has been the fact that the youngsters have grabbed their opportunities with both hands. It will be interesting to note if Rajat Patidar continues to get the backing despite low returns in the last three Tests. Moreover, India will be boosted by the return of Jasprit Bumrah.
Current form for England: L L L W W
England has pushed India to the limits but they have lacked the blowout punch. With Dharamsala’s pitch expected to assist the fast bowlers, the visitors could think of strengthening their pace battery. Furthermore, England’s middle order will need to deliver as they haven’t been at their best.
Head to Head: Matches: 135, Won by England: 51, Won by India: 34, Drawn: 50.
Players to look out for: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, and Jasprit Bumrah will be the crucial players for India.
Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, Joe Root, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow and Tom Hartley will be the important players for England.
England Squad: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Ben Stokes(c), Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes(w), Tom Hartley, Ollie Robinson, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson, Mark Wood, Daniel Lawrence, Gus Atkinson
India Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Ravindra Jadeja, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Srikar Bharat, Devdutt Padikkal, Axar Patel, Mukesh Kumar
