England vs India 5th Test Preview: Team news, prediction and squad

The 5th Test match between England and India is all set to be played from 1st July at the Edgbaston, Birmingham.

India is all set to face England in the last and final Test series. The last four games were played last year itself and the remaining one match is scheduled from 1st July

Let’s have a look at the team news, prediction and squad.

Team News

India

Rohit Sharma was supposed to lead the team but he got affected by the covid and is under quarantine. He can’t be back in the game until and unless he has two RT-CPR Negative results. In his absence, Jasprit Bumrah is all set to lead the team. Bumrah is the second pacer after Kapil Dev to lead the Indian team in Tests after Kapil Dev in 1987. Rishabh Pant is the vice-captain.

Rohit Sharma’s absence can prove to be a massive blow for the team. Rohit Sharma had a spectacular form in the last few tests where he mustered a total of 368 runs including one hundred. In his absence, Mayank Agarwal will be leading the team. KL Rahul, another key player of the team has been ruled out due to injury. On the other hand, Virat Kohli’s form in recent times hasn’t been the best of his potential which is a matter of concern for the team. If India manages to draw or win this Test, it’s going to be their first triumph since ICC 2007. This can also improve their ICC rankings, right now, India is at No.3

Here’s what Head coach Rahul Dravid had to say regarding Rohit Sharma’s absence “He needs to get the negative test to be available. We’ll keep monitoring that. We’ve still got close to 36 hours to go, so he’ll have a test later tonight and one tomorrow morning as well. And then we’ll see. “

England

England’s team will be led by Ben Stokes. The England captain also said Ben Foakes is still out while he recovers from Covid, therefore Sam Billings of Kent holds his spot behind the wickets. Given the new captain-coach combination of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, England has significantly improved, as proven by their 3-0 triumph over the current ICC World Test Championship champions New Zealand.

England vs India 5th Test: Match Prediction

The first Test match was a draw followed by a victory from India’s side. The third game was won by England and in the fourth game, India won thus marking a strong comeback. In the last game, both the teams will look for a victory. However, England’s captain Ben Stokes is more experienced and the team is more balanced than the Indian team. The absence of Rohit Sharma is another blow for the team. It’s going to be an enthralling match.

Fantasy XI

Cheteshwar Pujara from India will open the innings in the absence of Rohit Sharma. He has mustered 227 runs in this series so far hopefully will play his best.

Shubman Gill from India will open the innings for them. He can contribute greatly with the bat.

Craig Overton has piled up 43 runs and picked up 8 wickets in this series so far. He’s a good pick.

Ollie Pope from England smashed 83 runs in this series so far and can prove to be a great choice.

Joe Root in the recent series against New Zealand smashed 396 runs in 3 matches.

Ravindra Jadeja is in a good form as in the warmup game, he had scored 69 runs and scalped four wickets.

In three matches against the Kiwi team, Ben Stokes mustered 194 runs at an average of 48.50. he’s also leading the team.

Jasprit Bumrah picked 18 wickets in four games of this series last year, with a figure of 5/64.

Mohammad Shami picked up 11 wickets while registering the best figures of 4/95.

Jonny Bairstow smashed 394 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 120.12 in the recently finished series against New Zealand.

Rishabh Pant from India in the last test against Sri Lanka mustered 39 (26), 50 (31). He’s another essential pick.

Read more: Interesting numbers from Eoin Morgan’s career