The State of Play
India’s win in Ranchi moved them 3-1 ahead in the series, rendering this final match in Dharamsala a dead rubber.
There are World Test Championship points at stake, though, not to mention the small matter of personal pride.
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England have largely performed well on this tour and they deserve more than to return home having been beaten 4-1 – a point coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes will be keen to emphasise.
For all the talk of Bazball – particularly early on when England went 1-0 up in Hyderabad – the fact is the tourists have not been able to sustain their front-foot approach long enough, and well enough, for it to have any meaningful impact.
There are two players that will achieve milestone moments in this game with both Ravichandran Ashwin and Jonny Bairstow set to play their 100th Test match.
Team News
India enjoyed the luxury of being able to rest star paceman Jasprit Bumrah in Ranchi but he will return here, possibly at the expense of Kuldeep Yadav.
India’s strength in depth has been evident in this series with the likes of Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel and Akash Deep all making their Test bows. With the outcome settled, the hosts could well hand a maiden cap to Devdutt Padikkal.
England have opted to stick with two spinners despite the fact the game is taking place in the cooler conditions of Dharamsala, in the foothills of the Himalayas.
The only change to the side that lost in Ranchi is the inclusion of Durham paceman Mark Wood, who comes in for Ollie Robinson.
Robinson underperformed last time out, going wicketless in India’s first innings while being completely ignored by Stokes in the second.
There is a slight concern around Shoaib Bashir, who missed training today with a minor stomach upset.
Expected line-ups
India: Jaiswal, Sharma (c), Gill, Padikkal, Jadeja, Khan, Jurel (wk), Ashwin, Bumrah, Deep, Siraj
England: Crawley, Duckett, Pope, Root, Bairstow, Stokes (c), Foakes (wk), Hartley, Wood, Anderson, Bashir
Walk with us to the middle…
Is this the most beautiful ground in the world? 🤔🏔😱#INDvENG | #EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/ejZvQ1dji5
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 5, 2024
What they said
India captain Rohit Sharma on his team and the pitch
“It has been a series of comebacks for us. Whenever we were put under pressure we were able to put the pressure back on the opposition. That was pleasing for me. Looks like a typical Indian pitch. There will be some movement when the temperature drops but looks like a good pitch.”
England captain Ben Stokes on the pitch
“It looks like a wicket that could have a bit of pace and carry in it. Having a fresh Mark Wood on a wicket that you feel is going to offer some pace – it’s something that’s been consistent whenever we’ve gone with two seamers. Looking at having a bowler like Jimmy [Anderson] but wanting to have some pace and firepower to break the game open. With having two spinners, it allows us to play either conditions at different times throughout the Test.”
When and how to watch
The fifth Test takes place in Dharamsala, starting at 4am (UK time) on Thursday morning. You can watch it in the UK on TNT Sports or Discovery+ with the programme starting at 3.45am.
Prediction
England will find it difficult to get up for this game given the series is already lost. And with India’s young guns fighting to keep their places when the more established players return, they will not be lacking in motivation.
The conditions could suit England more than the previous four games but we don’t think that will be enough to sway the game in the tourists’ favour.
Expect India to wrap up a 4-1 win.
