All roads lead to Oval: Upbeat India aim to deliver succour punch in series finale

The series, playing in front of packed crowds, has been a perfect advert for Test cricket with all four games stretching to the final session on day five.

London: India and England players will push their tired bodies on the line with everything to play for in the fifth and final Test starting at The Oval on Thursday, promising a fitting end to what has been a fiercely fought and highly watchable series.

The series, playing in front of packed crowds, has also been a perfect advert for Test cricket with all four games stretching to the final session on day five.

Not to forget the skirmishes along the way that has spiced it up enough for all the Test loving fans.

Whether it Shubman Gill's tirade against Zak Crawley deliberately wasting time at the Lord's to Ravindra Jadeja refusing to call off proceedings on the final day much to the chagrin of Ben Stokes, things couldn't have gotten hotter than what it already is in London, experiencing a heat wave for the better part.

And Gautam Gambhir, the man always ready for a scrap has only intensified it with altercation with Oval curator Lee Fortis.

And in this backdrop with no Jasprit Bumrah to stand as that leafy banyan tree, it is boom or bust time for Gambhir's men. Expect the series finale to go down to the wire as well with England under an inspirational leader in Ben Stokes, enjoying a 2-1 advantage over a young and free spirited India, who have surpassed all expectations under new skipper Shubman Gill.

In first series as captain of a team undergoing major transition, Gill has led from the front and with 722 runs and is only 52 shy from Sunil Gavaskar’s record of most runs by an Indian in a series.

He needs another 11 runs to surpass Gavaskar's record of most runs (732) by an Indian captain in a Test series (1978-79 vs West Indies).

The 25-year-old has come of age with four hundreds thus far including a double century and a match saving 103 in the previous Test at Old Trafford. After low returns in three innings, Gill played the most defining knock of his career in Manchester to enhance his reputation not just as a batter but also as captain.

Having played a massive role in earning a famous draw from an almost hopeless situation, Gill and his team go into the finale with momentum on their side but gaps to fill.

Like Gill, Stokes too have led by example and despite battling multiple niggles, the England leader would be pushing his injure prone body to the limit. With their fast bowlers also jaded, England have added Jamie Overton to the squad.

With 511 runs, K L Rahul has been a model of consistency at the top of the order but more will be expected from Yashasvi Jaiswal and number three Sai Sudharsan on what is generally a decent batting surface at The Oval.

In injured Rishabh Pant’s absence, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja are expected to round up the top six following unbeaten hundreds that denied England a victory in the fourth Test.

The Indian management firmly believes in having a batting option till number eight and that could possibly lead to Kuldeep Yadav being once again left out of the playing eleven despite constant calls for his inclusion over the course of a long and gruelling series.

Dhruv Jurel will keep the wickets and could bat at seven in Pant’s absence and Shardul Thakur might retain his place at eight despite not exactly enjoying the confidence of his skipper.

Going by batting coach Sitanshu Kotak’s comments ahead of the fifth Test, India will retain the template that has been followed thus far.

"See you have to see the balance of both batting and bowling to win the match. Because, like you're saying, you have to take 20 wickets. Similarly, it's equally important that you score 550-600 runs," said Kotak.

"Overall, if you play with 6 bowlers, then some bowlers will under-bowl. So, if that 6th bowler is an all-rounder, then you know that he will contribute in batting and in bowling as well.

"If he is a pure bowler, and has under-bowled then after the match, when you look back, you will think that rather an extra bowler a batter would have made a difference," Kotak all but made clear head coach Gambhir's thought process.

On the bowling front, Akash Deep is expected to replace Jasprit Bumrah in the playing eleven with the latter advised to not risky his body.

Mohammed Siraj will be the leader of the attack and third pacer’s spot will go to either Prasidh Krishna or Arshdeep Singh, who has patiently waiting for his Test debut.

Surrey amassed more than 800 runs in the last County game played here but it remains to be seen how the pitch behaves for the high stakes clash.

Considering the short turnaround, England cancelled their opening training session on Tuesday with head coach Brendon McCullum only turning up in casual clothes to have a look at the pitch.

Squads England: Ben Stokes (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes India: Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj, Arshdeep Singh, N Jagadeesan (WK).

Match Starts: 3:30 pm IST.