Last Updated on 3 weeks by Charbel Coorey

ENG vs IND 5th Test Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible 11 Pitch Report | ENG vs IND 5th Test Dream11 Prediction Today | England vs India 5th Test Key Players | Edgbaston Pitch Report

A year ago, India were flying and England were on the mat. The tourists had taken a 2-1 lead after dominating much of the series, and were odds on favourites to seal their first Test series triumph in England since 2007.

Well, 12 months later, India will face BazBall in the final Test of the uncompleted series. Under new management, England have found a new lease of life, sweeping World Test Champions New Zealand in a show of brute force particularly at Trent Bridge and Headingley. Their relentless attacking approach will come under scrutiny by India’s strong pace attack, but belief has no bounds, and the battle shapes up to be a brilliant one.

However, it seems to be a high mountain to climb for India. All the speculation around whether Rohit Sharma would feature is now done, after the captain was officially ruled out due to COVID-19. Jasprit Bumrah has been named India’s 36th Test captain, and what a task he has to keep a confident England side quiet, particularly Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow.

Indeed, Rohit’s absence is a blow for India. The opener was outstanding in England last year, notching up 368 runs in the four Tests at an average of 52.57. His unavailability places even greater onus on the top order to deliver, with a special focus on the James Anderson vs Virat Kohli battle that can help decide this result.

ENG vs IND 5th Test Possible Playing 11

England have named their XI for this Test. James Anderson will replace James Overton. Zak Crawley has retained his spot despite poor form. Also, Sam Billings will take the gloves as Ben Foakes has not yet recovered from COVID-19.

England: 1. Alex Lees, 2. Zak Crawley, 3. Ollie Pope, 4. Joe Root, 5. Jonny Bairstow, 6. Ben Stokes (c), 7. Sam Billings (wk), 8. Matthew Potts, 9. Stuart Broad, 10. Jack Leach, 11. James Anderson

India have a number of questions to answer. Firstly, should Cheteshwar Pujara open or will Mayank Agarwal be drafted in? Second, should they play Ashwin given England have five left-handers and need to clean the tail as quickly as they can? More on India’s possible playing XI here.

India: 1. Shubman Gill, 2. Cheteshwar Pujara, 3. Hanuma Vihari, 4. Virat Kohli, 5. Shreyas Iyer, 6. Rishabh Pant (wk), 7. Ravindra Jadeja, 8. Shardul Thakur/R Ashwin, 9. Mohammed Shami, 10. Jasprit Bumrah (c), 11. Mohammed Siraj

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

England:

• Joe Root continues to produce the goods. The number one ranked Test batsman struck 396 runs in three Tests at an average of 99.00 against New Zealand. Also, Root was outstanding in the India series last year, striking 564 runs in seven innings at an average of 94.0.
• Overall, Root has an outstanding record against India in home Tests. The right-hander has struck 1,401 runs vs India in England at an average of 70.05.
• Jonny Bairstow was out of this world against New Zealand (394 runs) at a strike rate of 120.12. He found the going tough against India last year (184 runs, avg. 26.28), so how he goes this time around will be interesting to see.
• James Anderson has the most wickets of any bowler in Tests at Edgbaston (45) at an average of 23.28. His battle with Kohli, whom he has dismissed six times in Test cricket in England (avg. 32), will be huge.
• Stuart Broad is close behind with 40 scalps at Edgbaston at an average of 22.20. He will be key against left-handers Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja.
• Matthew Potts was England’s highest wicket-taker (14, avg. 23.28) in the recent series against New Zealand. His skiddy bowling and tendency to keep the batsmen playing makes him a threat.

India:

• Virat Kohli will be even more crucial in the absence of Rohit. He scored a memorable 149 on this ground back in 2018, and India willl be hoping for his first international century since 2019.
• Kohli scored 33 and 67 in the tour match against Leicestershire in the leadup to the fifth Test.
• Cheteshwar Pujara averages just 30.29 against England in England. However, there seems to be a new lease of life. He scored 720 runs in five matches for Sussex in the 2022 County Championship division two at an average of 120. He converted all four of his 50+ scores into centuries.
• Rishabh Pant’s shortcomings in T20I cricket are well documented, but his Test record is strong. He is 80 away from 2,000 Test runs and averages 40.85, which includes a century in his last Test in South Africa and a player of the series performance at home vs Sri Lanka.
• However, Pant averaged just 20.85 in the current series. Can he turn this around here?
• Shardul Thakur struck two fifties and took seven wickets at an average of 22.00 in two Tests in England last year.
• Jasprit Bumrah, India’s 36th Test captain, is his team’s leading wicket-taker in this series. He took 18 wickets in four Tests (avg. 20.83).
• Importantly, Bumrah has the better of Jonny Bairstow. The pacer has dismissed Bairstow thrice for just 17 runs in 70 balls in Tests.

Other Stats and Facts

• India have not won a series in England since 2007. They lost 4-0 in 2011, 3-1 in 2014 and 4-1 in 2018.
• England won a tight match against India at Edgbaston in 2018. Ben Stokes took 4/40 in the second innings to help England win by 31 runs.
• India have never won a Test in Edgbaston in seven attempts.
• Joe Root in Tests at Edgbaston: 11 inns, 496 runs, avg. 49.60, four fifties, one hundred.

Edgbaston Birmingham Pitch Report and Weather

The Edgbaston surface has a beige look to it, but has a hard feel and some covering of grass. Birmingham is typically a decent location for batting, with scores regularly around the 280 mark in Tests since 2015.

In fact, the last five first innings scores read: 297, 514, 287, 284 and 303. The team batting first won four of these five matches, with spinners often having a say towards the backend of the match, including Nathan Lyon with 6/49 in the second innings of the 2019 Ashes Test on this ground.

In terms of the weather, the forecast looks promising for most of the Test. However, there may be periods of showers on the first two days in particular.

FIND OUT MORE: Edgbaston Birmingham weather forecast for ENG vs IND 5th Test

ENG vs IND 5th Test Dream11 Prediction 1 July 2022

Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article as well as your own instincts to create your teams.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Fan2Play Prediction

Base team:

• Wicket-keepers: Jonny Bairstow, Rishabh Pant
• Batsmen: Joe Root, Virat Kohli
• All-rounders: Ben Stokes, Ravindra Jadeja
• Bowlers: James Anderson, Jasprit Bumrah

ENG vs IND 5th Test Match Prediction: Who will win?

India is a magnificent team, but they are running into a red-hot England side without having played a Test match since March. For that reason, England look good to win this match and level the series 2-2.