Bumrah rested as India name playing XI for fifth Test against England

India have announced their playing XI for the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England, starting Thursday at The Oval. Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the decisive match.

Bumrah, who is currently the No. 1 ranked Test bowler and joint-highest wicket-taker for India in the series, has been left out along with Shardul Thakur and Anshul Kamboj. Their replacements are pacers Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep, while Karun Nair makes his first appearance of the series in the middle order.

India have also been forced to make a change in the wicketkeeping department after Rishabh Pant was ruled out due to a foot injury he picked up during the fourth Test. Dhruv Jurel will make his Test return and take on the wicketkeeping duties. Shubman Gill continues to lead the side.

England, who lead the five-match series 2-1, have also made four changes. Regular captain Ben Stokes is out with a shoulder injury, and Ollie Pope will lead the team. Fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse, and spinner Liam Dawson, have all been rested. Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, and Jamie Overton have been brought in. All-rounder Jacob Bethell has been included in place of Stokes.

Pope won the toss and chose to bowl first, making it the fifth time in the series that India’s Gill has lost the toss.

Playing XIs: 

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

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