After drawing the last Test against England, India would like to win the fifth Test and level the series 2-2. They have a good shot at this prospect as England will enter the fifth Test with some major changes to their playing XI from the Manchester Test. One such would be losing out on the services of their captain Ben Stokes, who is nursing a shoulder injury.

On the other hand, when in England, weather plays a crucial role and so does the bowlers. Indian bowlers are succumbing to injuries but they look formidable when compared to the tweaked England XI. Speaking of the weather, the weather will be cloudy and one can expect showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. The temperature will be as high as 23 degree celsius and can fluctuate with timely showers.

Pitch report

The pitch is covered with ample grass and green tinge is visible from the far look. This will make the role of bowlers even more crucial as both the teams rely heavily on their pace battery. The team winning the toss will likely to choose bowl first and take the early advantage going into the game.

See Also: Major updated from Gill ahead of fifth Test

IND vs ENG 5th Test Predicted Playing XI:

England (announced XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue

India predicted XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna