England to miss Stokes as India eye series-levelling win at Oval
London
As India gears up for the final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at the Kennington Oval in London, history isn't exactly on their side. The venue, while iconic in cricketing folklore, hasn't been a happy hunting ground for Team India over the years.
In their 15 Test appearances at The Oval, India have managed to win just twice. Six of those encounters have ended in defeats, while seven have been drawn. In short, the Oval has often proven to be a tricky venue for Indian teams of different generations.
In the 21st century, India's only win in this period came in 2021. However, that joy has been surrounded by four defeats and two draws. Their last outing at the venue, in 2023, ended in disappointment, with India going down by a massive 209-run margin.
Now, heading into the fifth and final Test, India must win to level the series. A draw or a loss would hand England the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, something the visitors would be desperate to avoid after putting up a spirited fight throughout the tour.
With the series on the line, and their backs against the wall at a venue that hasn't always been kind, India will need to summon all their resilience, discipline, and belief.
The team has shown flashes of brilliance across the series with standout performances from the likes of captain Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja but now, it all comes down to this one match.
Speaking about Jasprit Bumrah's availability on eve of the match Gill said, 'We are going to take a decision tomorrow. The wicket looks pretty green, so we will see how it turns out.' So far in the series, Bumrah has been the second-highest wicket-taker and India's top bowler with 14 scalps at an average of over 26, with two five-wicket hauls to his name.
Gill also said that the call on Arshdeep, who is already India's top T20I wicket-taker, will be taken later in the evening.
'He is definitely being asked to get ready. Like I said, we are going to make a decision later this evening,' he added.
Meanwhile, England captain Ben Stokes has been was ruled out of Test.
Stokes misses out at The Oval with a shoulder problem, sustained during the draw at Old Trafford, with a tight turnaround of just four days between Tests.
But the all-rounder says he is only expecting to be sidelined for around six or seven weeks.
'It is one of those of weighing up the risk-reward, and the risk was way too high for damaging this any further than it currently is,' said Stokes.
Ollie Pope will lead the side in Stokes' absence while Jacob Bethell will bat at number six.
There are also three changes to the bowling line-up with quicks Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse, who has played all four Tests so far, also missing out alongside spinner Liam Dawson.
Seamers Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton are included while Chris Woakes retains his place, meaning he will have played every Test of the series.
Teams
England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue.
India (from): Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc, wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
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