India might go with the same team that played in the only Test they won against England earlier this month at Edgbaston. The team led by Shubman Gill is 1-2 down in the five-match series and the last game is on Thursday, July 31 at The Oval.
According to The Indian Express, Karun Nair is likely to play again after being benched for the Manchester Test which ended in a draw. Since he came back to Test cricket in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, the top-order batter has not been able to convert good starts into big scores.
The report says India wants to strengthen their batting for the decider which they need to win to level the series. Since there was grass on the pitch at The Oval the day before the game, they might add Nair as an extra batter.
Will Shardul be dropped?
If Nair plays, all-rounder Shardul Thakur will probably be dropped as his bowling in the 4th Test wasn’t great. Nair has scored 131 runs in six innings on the tour so far with an average of 21.83 and a highest score of 40. The fifth Test might be another chance for him to stay in the Test team.
Nair came back to the team in the 2nd Test replacing B Sai Sudharsan who was benched after a poor debut in Leeds. Both are likely to keep their spots this time.
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No room for Kuldeep?
If the fifth Test is played on a green pitch, left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav might have to go back to India without playing a single game on the tour.
India hasn’t ruled out playing Jasprit Bumrah in the fifth Test even though he has already played three games as part of his workload plan. If he doesn’t play, Akash Deep might return with Prasidh Krishna, says the report. If that happens, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh will have to wait longer to make his Test debut.
