(Info4now, Old Trafford, September 10, 2021)- As both the teams are to attend the grand finale of a semi-competitive series in India vs England 5th Test, fitness is a problem for them. Who to play and who not is something that looms large over the final selection. But it’s a very important game for England as they have nothing optional to compromise except winning. On the other hand, Virat Kohli with the Midas touch will never be looking for any brazen conversion of that glitter. When Manchester is unitedly busy with their premier sensation with the return of a champion, this game too will create a mark in the history of red ball cricket.
Back to today’s game, the Old Trafford is a tricky wicket in the current situation of the contest. It definitely helps the pacers. But if we just look back into the last game in Manchester between Pakistan and England, we have an experience of a fair amount of spin bowling success. Champion leg spinners Yasir Shah dominated among the other bowlers.
Preview: India vs England 5th Test, Old Trafford
Whether Jack Leech or not in the playing XI is a tense issue for England. Chris Woakes and James Anderson will probably make the side. The crisis in pace in English attack might be compensated with the inclusion of Mark Wood in place of Overton. And if Robinson requires a little bit of rest, it may open the door for Leech. But it’s really tough to confirm that England would go with three pacers and two slowers.
Rhythmic success at the top order is a problem for England. Once Hameed scores, he can’t continue. Rory Burns with his terrific style to handle the pace of Indian pacers looks flat when he goes out. His batting and his getting out never match. So a self-satisfying start cannot save England from a further threat. It needs to be very stable at the top. Dawid Malan looked vulnerable against Jadeja in the last game. He, even being a left hand striker of cricket ball, could not take on Jadeja. So an unsettled top order still the main reason for being an unsettled side against a champion side like India. Johnny Bairstow will miss out with the return of Jos Buttler.
In the last preview we expected Rohit Sharma’s return with a big one. He mastered it without any surprise. He, being the only consistent batsman in the side, is just taking away the pressure of the off-form batsmen. K. L. Rahul is also in a fine touch and this opening is creating a huge difference between Team India and Team England. I don’t know whether Pujara is fit or not. But India must try to go with the winning combination. Virat Kohli is steps away from a big score. If Old Trafford pitch too gets dry with the coming out of the sun, Kohli has a great chance to capitalize his defence in the last game. Hanuma Vihari is the right replacement for Rahane. But Kohli still might stick to Rahane to maintain the spirit of the team. Though Shardul Thakur’s cameos making the opposition anxious, down the order India possess no commitment.
If India want to play Ashwin in the playing XI, it’s an easy picking in place of Md. Siraj. But if they still happy with the no Ashwin template, Md. Shami returns. Even being completely exhausted with the workload, Jaspreet Bumrah must be included in the team on such a grand occasion.
To Conclude
Besides missing greats like Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad and Jofta Archer, England are always missing a plan. While India defending their selection, England busy in correcting errors. Before heading into India vs England 5th Test, England should have a pre-match sketch. For India, there’s no chance of losing the series. So India, for the first time, will play with dominance on their faces. The wicket looks exactly the same as that of the Oval. But a weather forecast in favour of scattered rain must have otherwise effect on the situation.
My XXII of India vs England 5th Test
India: Rohit Sharma, K. L. Rahul, Cheteswar Pujara/Suryakumar, Virat Kohli, Rahane/Hanuma Vihari, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav and Bumrah/Md. Shami
England: Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, David Malan, Joe Root, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, James Anderson and Jack Leech/Robinson
