IND vs ENG 5th Test Preview: Pitch, Weather Report, Probable Playing 11, Streaming Details. The long-awaited fifth and final Test of the Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy 2025 series, between India and England, starts July 31 at The Oval. England lead the five-match series 2–1. This means India need to win to level the series and remain in contention for important World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–27 points.
India have lost Rishabh Pant due to a fractured foot sustained in the fourth Test match. Dhruv Jurel will take the job behind the stumps, and Narayan Jagadeesan has been called up as cover. Jasprit Bumrah may also be rested after bowling over 119 overs in the series.
If Bumrah does miss out, India could go in one of two directions with their bowling attack. They could deploy a spin heavy attack including both Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar, with their three pace bowlers being Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep and Shardul Thakur. They could also go with pace lineup because of their pace depth. Also, England aptain Ben Stokes has been rules out of 5th test because of shoulder injury. Ollie Pope will lead team England.
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Pitch and Weather Report
The Oval pitch is generally considered flat early on, making great batting conditions before producing some spin in the second half of the Test. We could expect some dry patches from Day 2 onward and it should extend play for the spinners.
It is possible Day 1 could be affected by rain. There may be some help for the seamers, with overcast conditions acceptable for Day 1. Nevertheless, Days 3 to 5 are likely to be predominantly dry conditions before we come to a thrilling conclusion.
IND vs ENG 5th Test Playing XIs
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill (c), Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Shardul Thakur
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith(wk), Jacob Bethell, Chris Woakes, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue.
Broadcast & Streaming Info
The 5th Test will be live from July 31 to August 4, starting at 11:00 AM local time (3:30 PM IST).
India: Sony Sports Network | Streaming on SonyLIV & JioCinema
UK: Sky Sports Cricket
Things heated up before the Test on July 31 between India head coach Gautam Gambhir and the Oval curator Lee Fortis over the pitch inspection. Both boards played down the incident’s significance, but it left you with a sense of the heat of the moments heading into the decider.
Also Read: Gautam Gambhir Engages In Heated Exchange With Surrey Groundsman Ahead Of 5th Test At The Oval
It’s win or nothing for India to draw the series 2–2, but England need just a draw to complete a historic 3–1 series win. There are WTC points on offer, and both should be keen to round off a hard-fought series.
