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Cricket News: ENG vs IND 5th Test Preview: 3 things India must get right to win | 3 key things for India to get right to win final Test vs England

The Test series between England and India will move into its last chapter when they lock horns at Edgbaston from July 1- July 5. India are currently leading 2-1, and are eyeing a historic Test series win in England, their first since 2007 if they win the final match.

India have been very short of red-ball cricket since whitewashing Sri Lanka 2-0 at home in March 2022. On the other hand, England, under new head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, are playing a new fearless brand of cricket which has produced a series win, featuring the third-highest run chase at Lord’s and record chase at Trent Bridge.

The Indian team is one of the best traveling teams in recent years, which makes this fifth Test a very interesting one. Be it any condition, the Indian Test team has made sure that they stamp their authority and give a very tough fight to the opposition. They managed to do that last year when they won two out of the four Tests in England, where they outplayed the hosts for much of the series.

ENG vs IND 5th Test Preview: What India needs to get right to win

With the series on the line and the team on the verge to create history, we look at the three key things that the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team needs to get right to win the match and eventually the series.

A solid foundation at the top from the openers

With the dukes swinging around and conditions expected to be favourable for the seamers, it’ll be very important for the Indian team to get a good start. With last year’s Lord’s centurion KL Rahul already out with injury, Shubman Gill is most likely to open the batting with captain Rohit Sharma, who opened the innings for the first time in English conditions last year.

Rohit was India’s top run-getter, amassing 368 runs in four matches, including a fine 127 in the second innings of the fourth Test at The Oval in addition to fifties at Lord’s and Headingley. Conversely, Shubman featured in only one Test in England — the World Test Championship Final against New Zealand — which was less than memorable for him and the team.

One of the most crucial aspects for India gaining a 2-1 lead in the 2021 Test series against England was the runs from openers and to taste a series win they’ll have to repeat the same in the final Test.

Indian bowlers need to put pressure against a confident English batting line-up

Seasoned pacer Ishant Sharma has been left out of the squad for the one-off Test which means Jasprit Bumrah will lead the bowling attack, with Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj needing to produce the goods right away.

All three excelled with the ball during the previous tour of the UK. Bumrah had 18 scalps from four Tests, Siraj 14 from four and Shami 11 from three. However, since the inception of the McCullum factor, England have been playing a more aggressive brand of cricket which has been reflected in the first two Tests against New Zealand. Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes have been in good nick with the bat and it’ll be a big challenge for the Indian bowling attack to stop them.

Dukes and the English conditions always offer a lot of assistance for the pacers so the Indian fast bowlers will have to bowl in and around the off-stump consistently throughout the day. As highlighted in the New Zealand series, if you’re off your line or length, the England side will pounce at a rapid rate.

Spin could also play a key role. Jadeja will fancy his chances against a number of right-handed batters in the England team. The Indian team has a good mixture and variety in their bowling department and they’ll be up against a more confident English batting line-up which makes it a good contest to watch out for.

Batsmen 3-5 need to step up

The Indian middle-order has been the talking point for the last year or so. Last year, the openers scored the bulk of the runs in the four Tests; Rohit and KL combined scored close to 700 runs. However, with no KL around this time and the inexperienced Shubman to open alongside Rohit, the experience of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli will have to come in for India to rewrite history.

Cheteshwar Pujara looks set to make his Test return after being dropped from the team for the Sri Lanka series. His stint with Sussex really helped him find his mojo. Pujara piled up 720 runs in eight innings at an average of 120.00, which includes two double-centuries.

Meanwhile, all eyes would be on Virat Kohli, who has looked woeful since 2020 with no centuries to his name during this period. Last year, he averaged just 31.14 in four Test matches in England and the team will be hoping that he will step up for the team in the all-important Test.

There will be a toss-up between Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer for the number five position with Pujara set to reclaim his number three slot. India could go with the solid Hanuma Vihari in this role, given he has played in West Indies, Australia and England, while Shreyas is yet to feature in an overseas Test.

ENG vs IND 5th Test Preview: India probable playing 11 for the fifth Test

Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj