After an epic draw at Old Trafford in the fourth Test match, England and India will clash in the series decider 5th Test of the five-match Test series. The match will be played at Kia Oval, London, from 31 July 2025 to 4 August 2025 at 3:30 PM IST.

 

England

 

England is currently leading the series 2-1, going into the last match. A win or even a draw at the Kia Oval will see them seal the series and clinch the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. They played well and were dominant for most part of the Test match in Manchester, but a resilient fight back from the Indian team gave a disappointing draw. Ben Stokes took a fifer in the Test match after 8 years and scored a century after a gap of 2 years. Along with him, Joe Root scored a century, making 150 runs in the first innings. Stokes didn't bowl much on the last day due to a precautionary measure for his shoulder injury, but he said he will be the first to feature in the last match. England bowlers were clearly tired out in Manchester; they are likely to add fresh bowlers here. Jamie Overton was added to the squad, and he is pushing to get a start in London along with Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson. If Chris Woakes and Brydon Carson are rested, then Overton and one of Tongue and Atkinson will join him in the final XI at the Kia Oval.

 

India

 

The Indian team fought well to keep themselves alive in the series. Following a 311-run deficit, India didn't lose hope but kept fighting till the end and played more than five sessions to seal a draw. India were reduced to 0 for 2 on the fourth day, but a 188-run partnership between KL Rahul and Shubman Gill gave India much-needed hope, and then a match-saving partnership between all-rounder duo Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja did the work. Both all-rounders scored their respective centuries in the second innings and didn't let England roll over the batting lineup. The only disappointing news for the Indian team going into the last match would be that Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah will miss the Oval Test match. Pant has been ruled out due to a fractured foot, and the BCCI's medical team has advised Bumrah to rest his back. Dhruv Jurel and Akash Deep are likely to replace them in the final match.

 

ENG vs IND 5th Test: Pitch Report

 

The pitch at the Kia Oval is suitable for batting in the fourth innings; the team that bats second here are more likely to draw a positive result. The track tends to a balanced, offering help for batters and bowlers. Spinners are likely to extract some good help from the surface during the first two days, while pacers have gotten good help on day 3. The average first innings total at the venue is 325, indicating that batters will get to spend a good time on the surface.

 

ENG vs IND 5th Test: Weather Report

 

The conditions in London are not really well currently; there is rain predicted for the fifth Test match, especially on the first day. Then it will remain partly cloudy from day 2 to the fourth day of the match. Temperatures are likely to be around 18-23°C with a humidity of 60-80%, winds blowing at 15-30 km/h.

 

ENG vs IND Head-to-Head (in Tests)

 

ENG vs IND head-to-head (in Tests)
Match Played	140
Won by England	53
Won by India	37
No Result	0
Drawn	51

 

Probable XI

 

• England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson

 

• India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj

 

Must-Pick Players for ENG vs IND 5th Test

 

Top Wicketkeeper to Pick

 

• Jamie Smith | ENG: Jamie Smith is one of the best-performing batters of the England team in this series. He is currently the top scorer from England in terms of leading runs. He has scored 424 runs in just 7 innings, including one century and two half-centuries at a phenomenal average of 84.80. He will add good value to your fantasy team if added.

 

Top Batters to Pick

 

• Joe Root | ENG: The 34-year-old batter is the leading run scorer for England in Test cricket and loves playing against India on a spicy track. He scored a phenomenal knock of 150 in the fourth Test match, extending his century tally to 38th in his career. He is also the second leading run-scorer for his team after Jamie Smith in this series, with 403 runs in 7 innings at 67.17 average.

 

• Shubman Gill | IND: The skipper of the Indian team has taken his batting lineup to a storm. He scored his fourth century on this tour, overall 9th of his Test career. He is currently the highest run scorer from the Indian team with 722 runs at an average of 90.25, including three centuries and one double ton.

 

Top All-Rounders to Pick

 

• Ben Stokes | ENG: The skipper of the English team is capable of winning any Test match single-handedly from any situation. After a match-winning performance at Lord's, Stokes took a fifer after 8 years and scored a Test century after 2 years in his career, scoring 141 runs in the first innings. 

 

• Ravindra Jadeja | IND: One of the best all-rounders in World cricket currently. He has shown his batting prowess on this tour. He has been India's fourth-best Test batter on this tour, scoring 454 runs in 8 innings, including four half-centuries and one match-saving century in the last match. Ravindra Jadeja also equalled Sir Garfield Sobers' record of five fifty-plus totals at number 6 or lower.

 

Top Bowlers to Pick

 

• Jofra Archer | ENG: The 30-year-old right-arm pacer has taken 9 wickets in 4 innings. His pace and good length deliveries can trouble the Indian batting unit at the Kennington Oval. He should be in your fantasy team.

 

• Akash Deep | IND: With Bumrah unavailable for the last Test match, the Indian pace bowling unit will need some support from the Edgbaston hero. Bumrah was the standout bowler in the Lord's Test match, where he took 5 wickets in the first innings and has already been the second highest wicket taker for the Indian team on this tour but Akash Deep will do his best in Bumrah's absence.