WHO: England vs India
Contents: 5th and final test India tour
Location: Oval in London, UK
Date and Time: Thursday, July 31st
England and India head towards the oval for the decisive fifth final test of Thursday’s fierce battle campaign, with both teams battling mental and physical fatigue.
It proved that the busy schedule of five Tests within seven weeks was tough, especially for fast bowlers on both teams.
The series hit many players, including key England captain Ben Stokes, who was removed from the match.
Al Jazeera Sport will look at the foamy tests both on and off the field.
What is at stake in the final test of India’s England tour?
Surprisingly, India can finish the series all 2-2, 2-2 after rescuing an unlikely draw in the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
With Rabindra Jadeya and Washington Sundar secured for centuries, tourists remained on the field for 143 overs in two innings despite an inevitable draw at the end.
Why is the England India series so nervous?
Tensions spiked at the end of the fourth Test when India allowed Jadeja and Sundar to be completed for centuries after India offered to rock the draw.
There was also a pointing incident during the third Test at Lords, London, where England opener Zach Crawley plagued the Indians.
Crawley and opening partner Ben Duckett had tricky two-over spells to navigate before the stump, but the former was away from the fourth crease at the opening before Justprit Bumbrella could bowl.
Kent’s batsman also sought Physio, so only one was bowled before Crawley and Indian Captain Shubman Gill confronted Crawley about his actions.
What happened between the oval gunville and the Surry Groundman?
As if the series still hadn’t endured the growing emotions, Indian director Gautim Gabir got caught up in an incident with the oval principal.
Video footage showed Gamville in a confrontation with Lee Fortis, the lead curator at the Surry County Cricket Club’s South London Oval.
Fortis was understood to be protecting the square during Indian training sessions.
Gambil, a veteran of the 58 Test, waved his fingers as Fortis saw, saying, “I won’t tell you what to do” and “I shouldn’t tell you what to do.”
You can also hear Gambil add that “You are just a terrestrial man and nothing more.”
After having a conversation with Indian batting coach Sitansh Kotak, who appears to have taken on the role of mediator, Fortis told Gambil that he was forced to file a complaint against him and portrayed the response, “You can go to the person you want and report it.”
Kotak later told reporters that Fortis’ opposition to the cooler was running through the square.
“He was sitting on the roller, he screamed and told the support staff not to take it there,” Kotak said. “It’s good to own a little, and protecting it is good, but not much. Gautam just said, ‘Don’t talk to support staff like this.’ ”
Kotak said, “At the end of the day, it’s a cricket pitch. Not an untouchable antique.”
“I thought what happened yesterday was absolutely unnecessary, meaning it’s not the first time I’ve seen a wicket,” Gill added.
How was Gill rated as India’s captain?
Captaincy appears to be amazed at the career of Shubman Gill, a formerly inconsistent Indian batsman.
The elegant 25-year-old recorded the fourth century of an extraordinary debut series as an Old Trafford skipper.
He came along with Dire Straits tourists 0-2 in two innings and responded in a marathon 103 with a ball of 238, laying the foundation for a big escape.
Gill set a new record for most runs scored by Indian batters in the series against England 722, surpassing teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 712 tally in 2023/24.
With an oval shape, he was able to celebrate Sunil Gabaskar’s best ever Indian series record 774 runs, set in a four-match campaign against the West Indies in 1971.
England Team News
England’s Captain Stokes was removed from the test with a right shoulder injury.
The England and Wales Cricket Committee said Wednesday that Ollie Pope, who hits at age 3, will replace Stokes as a skipper.
Stokes said he expects him to be on the sidelines for up to seven weeks. However, he clearly felt it was too risky to play another test against India.
“This is one of the risk-averse ones, and the risk was too high to damage this than it is now,” he said. “I don’t expect players to risk injuries like this. Once this series is complete, there’s no much difference between the end of the series and the winter.”
England will also need to decide whether to risk representing paceman Jofra Archer, who bowled nearly 90 overs in two Tests after an asylum that has intensified injuries for over four years.
The home team took just four wickets on the flat old Trafford pitch while fighting India’s two innings.
Jamie Overton has been added to the England team, which already has the option of pace for Josh Tan and Gus Atkinson.
India Team News
India lacks the prolific run score Rishabh pants, vice captain who maintained a broken leg in Manchester.
Jasprit Bumrah’s back injury earlier this year has prompted India to announce that India will only win feature in three games during the current series.
The world’s top-ranked Test bowler made his third appearance on Manchester’s obedient pitch and had little time to recover after bowling a tough 33 overs.
However, India coach Gautam Gambir says all of his team’s quicks are suitable for the finale. Akash Deep scored 10 wickets in Bumra’s absence in India’s 336-run victory in the second Test at Edgbaston after suffering a gro caliber injury in his next match at Lord’s.
The oval curator breaks the silence!
• Lee Fortis, Oval’s Chief Curator, speaks out
• Opens with a fiery exchange with Gautam Gambhir
•What caused the conflict?Report 📽️ @sahil_malhotra1🏏
Complete coverage 👇https://t.co/hqdu24zkye#gautamgambhir#indvseng…pic.twitter.com/nltx1tvmk9
– TOI Sports (@toisports) July 29, 2025
