IND vs ENG, 5th Test Match, Day 1: Stakes Soar in Series Finale at The Oval

Published on the cusp of play, #PreMatchMemo sets the scene before each Test — spotlighting arcs, angles, and all that’s in play before the first ball is bowled.

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ANY moral high ground and whatever accompanying advantages (tangible or otherwise) that India had hoped to carry into the fifth and final Test appear to have been swiftly squandered a couple of days after the conclusion of the match at Old Trafford. To recap: After dominating proceedings for long spells in the fourth Test, Ben Stokes and his bowlers were undone by a masterclass in rearguard action by Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja. Boorish antics from England followed as a result of the frustration stemming from the hosts’ inability to dislodge the duo with the ball or to convince them to pass up centuries by prematurely ending the game.

By most accounts, the Indian batters were in the right and their opponents were behaving childishly. A few days later, after responding to Oval groundskeeper Lee Fortis’ actions with tasteless remarks, India coach Gautam Gambhir ceded all that aforementioned high ground back to the hosts. And as is usually the case with things like this, revisionism will inevitably rear its ugly head upon the conclusion of the final Test. Should India win and square the series, Gambhir will be lauded as a hard-nosed leader of men who stood up for his team. Whereas a loss will result in further opprobrium being heaped on the coach with such adjectives as ‘classist’, ‘arrogant’ and ‘mannerless’ flying around. The bottomline is that the high stakes riding on the Oval Test have been raised higher, particularly for Gambhir.

Onto the cricket then and after four intense Tests, both teams appear to be on their haunches and running on fumes. Like two prizefighters lurching and staggering their way into Round 12, the final one of a riveting bout, India and England prepare for one final exchange. And both combatants are definitely worse for wear. For the hosts, Stokes has been ruled out with a torn shoulder muscle, Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse have been rested in order to manage their workloads, and Liam Dawson’s dream return to Test cricket after eight years is over, for now.

In the visitors’ camp, with Nitish Kumar Reddy (out injured since before the fourth Test) is joined on the sidelines by Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah. While the latter is being rested — like the English quicks — to manage his workload, the Indian wicketkeeper is out for a longer term due to a foot injury suffered in Manchester.

THE FINER DETAILS 

Stokes’ absence sees Ollie Pope take over as captain — a role he has played four times last year, registering three wins and a loss. Elsewhere batting-allrounder (who bowls spin) Jacob Bethell, fast-bowling allrounder Jamie Overton, and quicks Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue will lace up their boots for England. An inexperienced bowling attack and the lack of a frontline spinner will be mildly concerning to the home camp, but of far greater worry will be the inability to call upon the team’s talismanic leader. Whether with the bat, the ball or with his leadership, Stokes has proven to be a force to reckon with during this series, and Pope will have some mighty large shoes to fill.

For India, a fit-again Akash Deep is expected to return to the lineup and Dhruv Jurel will be on the team sheet for the first time in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, despite having kept wickets in the last two matches. After his indifferent performance at Old Trafford, it’s hard to see Ashul Kamboj retaining his spot in the team, and this could be a great opportunity to play Kuldeep Yadav as a pure spinner. While Jadeja and Sundar have delivered the goods with the bat when called upon, their bowling has not been of the same calibre. It is also clear that there’s no place for an out-an-out spin bowler while they’re in the XI. The Indian brain trust’s current strategy appears to be a predilection for options over clearly designated roles.

What this means is that team selection in the current setup has leaned towards including a number of allrounders, rather than going with six batters and five bowlers — as was de riguer in the years gone by. And so there’s a tendency for the team balance to swing wildly. India will be hoping to get the combination right, and the first step is reading the conditions. The Oval is known to be conducive to spin in the last couple days of a Test, so the case for Yadav’s inclusion could become a bit stronger. But that would mean leaving out one of Jadeja or Washington, or going in with three spinners and three quicks. In this correspondent’s view, both these scenarios look unlikely. What is far more likely is Arshdeep Singh making his Test debut.

On the batting end of things, the lineup looks fairly solid and it would be a major surprise not to see Sai Sudharsan continuing at No 3 — the only spot that may have attracted some discussion and debate. Everywhere else, the batters have cemented their positions, and there aren’t expected to be many changes.

In terms of strategy and tactics, the bottom line is that India have to win to square the series. For England, any result would do just fine, because they’ve already retained the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. However, it’s a win that the hosts will be gunning for and few will want it as much as Pope. After wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, he’ll want to add a result against another South Asian team to his budding resumé as captain. The series has ebbed and flowed with top-tier performances, great excitement and plenty of needle. The stage is set for another Test match that’s high on quality, energy and emotion. It’s just a shame it’s the last one of the series.

Karan Pradhan is editor-in-chief of Story Mode, a gaming and gaming-adjacent magazine. Follow him on X/Twitter @karanpradhan_

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