India’s tour of England continues to puzzle fans and pundits alike, with wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav once again warming the bench. Despite the absence of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian management has chosen to leave Kuldeep out for the entire tour. For the final match, India has opted for extra batting depth instead, bringing Karun Nair into the XI in place of Shardul Thakur as they face a green seamer under overcast skies.
India Make Four Changes, Still No Toss Luck for Shubman Gill
India has made four changes to their lineup, with Dhruv Jurel coming in as wicketkeeper for Rishabh Pant, Akash Deep replacing Anshul Kamboj, and Prasidh Krishna stepping in for Jasprit Bumrah. The most notable strategic switch is India going in with an extra batter — Karun Nair — instead of a bowling option, likely due to the conditions.
Once again, Shubman Gill lost the toss, marking his fifth consecutive toss defeat on this tour. Even more surprisingly, it extends India’s losing streak at the toss to 15 in international men’s cricket — a concerning trend. On the other side, Ollie Pope, leading England in this Test, won his first toss as captain, a small but meaningful moment.
With a green pitch and heavy cloud cover, batting first won’t be easy. But India, forced to do so again, will hope their rebalanced lineup can put up a strong total.
England Also Rotate Their Squad With Four Changes
England, who had announced their changes a day prior, have also made four swaps to their lineup. Ben Stokes, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, and Brydon Carse make way for Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, and Josh Tongue. The home side is clearly looking to exploit the seaming conditions with a more pace-heavy attack.
India Playing XI:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj
England Playing XI:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue
