Karun Nair – India is preparing for a must-win clash in the final Test against England at The Oval, set to begin on Thursday, July 31. With the series tilted 2-1 in England’s favor, India will look to level it after a gutsy draw in the fourth Test.
Karun Nair Set to Return as India Revamps Line-up
As per recent updates, Karun Nair is expected to slot into the playing XI in place of all-rounder Shardul Thakur, adding more depth to India’s batting for the high-stakes finale. India appears to be opting for a safer, more solid batting unit to strengthen their chances on a pitch expected to offer some assistance to seamers.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah and debutant Anshul Kamboj are unlikely to feature. Kamboj’s underwhelming performance in his debut Test and Bumrah’s workload management are the main reasons for their exclusion.
“𝑩𝒖𝒎𝒓𝒂𝒉’𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒚. 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂’𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒂 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆.
In their place, Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna are expected to return. Deep, who was out of the fourth Test due to injury, will partner with Prasidh and senior pacer Mohammed Siraj, who continues to lead the pace attack.
No Game Time for Kuldeep and Arshdeep?
Unfortunately for Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh, the final Test may close the tour without them featuring in any match. The Oval surface reportedly has a healthy grass cover, prompting India to once again go with a pace-heavy attack.
“𝑲𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅’𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒏,” 𝒂 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅.
India’s wicketkeeping department will see Dhruv Jurel replacing the injured Rishabh Pant, who suffered a foot fracture during the series.
This change-heavy lineup shows India’s clear intent: go all-in with batting strength while relying on proven pace performers to bring them victory. The team’s confidence may also be fueled by their 336-run win at Edgbaston, where both Akash Deep and Siraj shone, taking 10 and 7 wickets respectively.
With England ahead 2-1 and one final battle to go, fans eagerly await to see if India’s fresh approach delivers a series-leveling win.
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