The 5th and final Test between England and India begins on Friday morning at Old Trafford in Manchester, bringing the Test series to a close. India leads the series 2-1 after defeating England by 157 runs at The Oval last week, overturning a 99-run First Innings deficit.
During the first two days at The Oval, England put themselves in a strong position before running out of steam with the ball and imploding with the bat. They do, however, frequently triumph after heavy losses.
After falling behind early in the match, India has shown incredible grit to fight back and win Tests at Lord’s and The Oval on the final day. When it comes to Jasprit Bumrah, England’s batters always appear to be vulnerable.
Weather
Rain is expected to cause some delays in the fifth Test, with showers forecast for the first three days. The average temperature should be approximately 19 degrees Celsius, while the weather should be drier for the contest duration.
Pitch
The Old Trafford wicket should wear down as the game progresses, with the spinners being more likely to be involved than at any other venue. For both sides, the opening innings should be the optimum time to bat, with the nature of the surface even out as the game develops. After winning the toss, captains should try to bat first.
Probable Playing XIs
England:
Joe Root (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Rory Burns, Dawid Malan, Haseeb Hameed, Ollie Pope, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Jack Leach, Mark Wood, Jimmy Anderson
India:
Virat Kohli (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj
England vs India – 5th Test, Dream 11:
Joe Root (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Rohit Sharma, Haseeb Hameed, KL Rahul, Chris Woakes, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Jimmy Anderson, Mark Wood, Mohammad Siraj
Prediction
Match winner
- India
Winning the toss
- India
Top Batsman
- England – Joe Root
- India – Rohit Sharma
Top Bowler
- England – Mark Wood
- India – Mohammed Shami
Most Sixes
- England – Jos Buttler
- India – Rishabh Pant
Player of the Match
- India – Rohit Sharma
Team Scores Batting First
- England – 280+
- India – 300+
India will be confident going into this Test and should be favoured to win the series 3-1. While both teams’ bowlers have been excellent, India’s batting has been superior, giving them an advantage in the last Test in Manchester. Let’s join Baji to enjoy your favourite international cricket!