Last Updated on 4 weeks by Charbel Coorey
ENG vs IND 5th Test Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | ENG vs IND 5th Test Match Dream11 Prediction Today | England vs India 5th Test Match Key Players | Old Trafford Pitch Report
Two years ago, a billion dreams were shattered at Old Trafford in Manchester when Virat Kohli’s Team India lost to New Zealand in the semi-final of the 50-over World Cup. Two years and a few months later, another opportunity beckons for the Kohli-led side to carve out yet another legacy enhancing feat as the tourists aim for their first Test series win in England since 2007.
India have time and again displayed just why they are a top-tier Test team in the past four years. Their ability to bounce back from the dead has been truly inspirational and we saw that yet again in the last Test at the Oval where the tourists reversed a 99-run first innings deficit into a 157-run mauling of England.
India were up against it on the first evening thanks to yet another batting collapse but Shardul Thakur’s belligerent half-century kept them afloat as they eventually posted 191. England were then reduced to 5-62 on the second morning but Ollie Pope’s 81 and decent contributions from the middle and lower order ensured that the hosts ended up getting a 99-run-lead.
That England managed to get just a 99-run lead was down to the inability of their batsmen to convert their starts into a big knock, something that came back to bite them later in the game as India piled up 466 runs in their 2nd innings to set them a target of 368.
It was a flat track, alright, and when England breezed to 0-100 on the fifth morning, it looked like the Test would meander to a draw. However, disciplined bowling in the 1st session, imaginative captaincy by Kohli and a masterclass in how to bowl on a flat deck by Jasprit Bumrah ensured that the heart of England’s middle and lower order was ripped out by the time players departed for the tea break.
Umesh Yadav completed the formalities after the Tea break to ensure that India won their first Test at the Oval after 50 years and took an unassailable 2-1 lead in the 5-match series.
India can no longer lose the Test series but England can still ensure that it ends in a 2-2 stalemate, something that the tourists will be desperate to ensure that that’s not the case as they aim to rewrite history books in Manchester.
Key Players to Watch/Key Stats
England:
- Joe Root: The England captain endured a rare average game by his standards in the Oval Test as he failed to convert his starts into a three-figure score. Root would be desperate to do so at one of his favorite venues-Old Trafford- as England aim to draw the series. Root is the 2nd highest run-getter among all English batsmen in Manchester. In 15 innings, he has scored 781 runs at an average of 65.08 with six 50+ scores including one ton.
- Rory Burns: The Surrey opener looked good during his half-century knock in the second innings of the last Test before he was undone by a Jaffa from Shardul Thakur. Burns has got off to starts in the series but he has failed to convert them into big knocks, something Joe Root stressed for the English batsmen to do more often after the last game.
- Ollie Pope: The young batsman looked like a million dollars during his knock of 81 in the first innings of the Oval Test. However just like other England batsmen he failed to convert it into a daddy hundred. Can he do that in the must-win game in Manchester?
- Chris Woakes: The seam-bowling all-rounder had a near perfect game as he claimed seven wickets across two innings besides scoring a crucial 50 in the first innings. He will once again be a huge threat for the tourists in Manchester.
- Woakes’ record in Manchester: 23 wickets in 10 innings at 18.47 with one five-wicket-haul
- James Anderson: It is still not known whether Anderson will play at his home venue given the amount of workload he has endured in the series so far. If he does play then Anderson will hope to notch up his maiden five-wicket-haul at his home turf. In 18 innings, he has managed 31 wickets at Old Trafford at 24.29.
India:
- Rohit Sharma: The stylish Indian opener finally got the monkey off his back in the last game as he smashed an imperious 127 in the 2nd innings to set-up a 157-run victory. Rohit has thus far scored 368 runs in 8 innings at an average of 52.57 and he will be hoping to end the series on a high.
- KL Rahul: The Karnataka opener shrugged off his string of low scores with a patient 46 in the 2nd innings at the Oval. Rahul started this series with an 84 at Trent Bridge and an imperious 126 at Lord’s. Can he finish the series on a high?
- Virat Kohli: The Indian skipper looked really good in both the innings during the Oval Test. He scored a crucial 50 in the first innings and then backed it up with a 44 in the second before he was once again undone by Moeen Ali.
- Can the Indian skipper continue his good work and hopefully convert his start into his 71st international ton?
- Cheteshwar Pujara: He may have struggled for runs in the first inning but it is fair to say that the Indian No.3 has compensated with three back-to-back crucial knocks in the second innings in the ongoing Test series.
- Pujara was once again brilliant (61) in the second innings of the Oval Test as he played with the same intent as he had done during his 91 at Leeds and it was his 153-run-stand with Rohit that really set the platform for Team India. Can Pujara emulate those exploits in the first innings of a Test match at Old Trafford?
- Shardul Thakur: The all-rounder had a perfect outing at the Oval as he scored two crucial 50s besides claiming three prized scalps including Ollie Pope in the first innings and Joe Root in the second. Can he back it up with another good show in the next Test?
- Jasprit Bumrah: The champion pacer once again displayed during the last Test just why he is a once-in-a-generation kind of bowler. In an inspired spell on a fifth day track, Bumrah ripped the heart out of the English middle-order and his figures 6-3-6-2 does not remotely suggest just how good he was.
Stats and Facts
- India have an abysmal record at Old Trafford: 0 wins, 4 defeats and 5 draws in 9 previous Tests.
- The last time India played a Test in Manchester was in 2014 where they were pumped by an innings & 54 runs.
- England’s record at Old Tafford: 31 wins, 15 defeats and 35 drawn games.
- If England fail to win the final Test then it will be the first time since 1986 where they end their home summer with two Test series defeats.
- If India manages to win or draw the final Test then Virat Kohli will become the first Indian skipper to lead his side to a Test series win in Australia and England.
Possible Playing 11
India
It will be interesting to see the make-up of India’s playing XI for the Old Trafford Test. Will an out of form Ajinkya Rahane be finally consigned to the bench? Will the management rotate it’s seamers? Also, if the pitch shows signs of turn, will India bring back Ashwin? And, if yes, in place of whom?
Playing XI– Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli ©, Ajinkya Rahane/Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav/R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami/Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah/Ishant Sharma
England:
With Jos Buttler available and Root having confirmed in the presser that the Lancashire stumper will keep wickets, it will be a toss up between Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow.
Mark Wood is likely to slot back while it remains to be seen whether England decide to rest one of their seamers in James Anderson or Ollie Robinson. Also, with Jack Leach in the squad and Old Trafford expected to aid spin bowlers, will the home side resort to playing two spinners?
Playing XI– Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joe Root ©, Ollie Pope/Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (WK), Moeen Ali/Jack Leach, Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, James Anderson
Old Trafford, Manchester pitch report and weather conditions
The wicket at Old Trafford has shown signs of aiding spinners in the recent past. However, with it expected to be overcast and gloomy for the first few days, one can expect the seam and swing bowlers to rule the roost.
As far as the weather is concerned, it is expected to rain on the first three days. The temperatures will fluctuate between 17-21 degree Celsius. Humidity is set to hover around 87%.
Dream11 & Fan2Play Prediction
Also read: Fan2Play vs Dream11 – What’s the difference?

Match Prediction
This series has been back and forth with one side storming back emphatically after a set-back. England certainly have it in them to put up a performance like they did in Leeds. However, India should start as slight favourites.