India tour of England 2025 | Fifth Test | Preview and Predictions

A great escape in Manchester that saw India fight hard and put up a gritty performance to steal a draw and keep the series alive heading into the fifth Test. At Oval, the series is still alive for Shubman Gill’s boys who can tie up the series with a win. Ben Stokes’ and co. will rue their missed chances at Old Trafford but have a chance to close the series. 

Ahead of the fifth Test match between England and India, here’s our match preview and predictions. 

India tour of England 2025 | 5th Test | 15:30 IST, July 31–August 04

For the visitors, it has been their batting that has kept them competitive in the series. Each of the four Test matches have gone down to the final session on the final day. KL Rahul has probably been the best opener across both teams with Rahul using all his experience to make sure India hasn’t had an issue at the top of the order. Along with Rahul, Indian captain Shubman Gill has been the standout batter for India. 

Batting like a dream, the Indian skipper has been in the form of his life and has carried the batting unit along with Ravindra Jajeda and Washington Sundar who have stepped up in the lower order. While the Indian batting has been stellar, their bowling has been equally mediocre. Even with Jasprit Bumrah returning, there has been no  threat from the Indian bowlers as they have only picked up all twenty wickets in a Test twice out of the four outings. With Bumrah being ruled out for the final Test, the Indian seam attack will be led by Mohammad Siraj once again as Akash Deep is set to return to the squad. While Bumrah’s absence will be a jolt to the Indian camp, there is some belief as well with the only Test having been won in the series by India has been one that did not feature Jasprit Bumrah.

England on the other hand, have been bolstered by the return of Jofra Archer. Archer has brought sheer pace to an attack led by Chris Woakes and he has troubled the Indian top order, especially, Yashasvi Jaiswal. Archer has been backed up well by a supporting act of Woakes and Brydon Carse but it has been their captain Ben Stokes who has stepped up when they’ve needed him most, providing breakthroughs time and time again. Stokes has been crucial for the team with the bat and ball with Joe Root continuing to lead the batting unit. The opening pair of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett finally got going together while Ollie Pope has regularly been amongst the runs for England.

England’s only worry would be their middle order aside from Stokes but Carse has helped his team with the bat as well on multiple occasions. The Oval is a ground that has historically been a happy hunting ground for the quick bowlers which should bode well for both teams, who heavily rely on the pace attack. The short period between the two Tests could be a reason for fatigue for the seamers but expect a strong game from the pacers on both sides. England have made four changes, two big ones seeing their captain Ben Stokes miss out due to injury while Jofra Archer has been rested as has been the impressive Brydon Carse. 

India goes into the final Test without their wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant. England will be playing with a host of new faces which will give India the upper hand to make the most of the situation and with England missing out on the services of their captain who has been instrumental in the series along with Archer and Carse, both of whom have troubled the Indians deeply. It’s India going in as favourites as they will look to tie up the series against a hamstrung English team.

Fantasy XI: KL Rahul, Ben Duckett, Shubman Gill, Harry Brook, Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, Ravindra Jadeja, Chris Woakes, Akash Deep, Mohammad Siraj, Gus Atkinson

Venue: The Oval, London

Winners Prediction: India