India XI vs England: Pant, Anshul Out; Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav In Side By Irfan Pathan

Will India ring in many changes for the fifth and final Test against England? One will be a forced one - Rishabh Pant has been ruled out due to a foot injury and Dhruv Jurel will take his place. Jasprit Bumrah will also not play, according to sources. That means there is a place up for grabs for a pacer too. Anshul Kamboj, who made his debut in the 4th Test, may also not get a chance. That leaves one more slot. Former Indian cricket team star Irfan Pathan opined that Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav should get a look-in.  

"I feel Jurel will come in place of Pant. He will bat there. Kuldeep in place of Bumrah, according to me. And for Anshul Kamboj, there will be a question. Arshdeep, left-arm pacer, do you make him debut? Kamboj debuted and there was lot of pressure on him. But Arshdeep is still different. He is a regular in white-ball and has the wicket-taking ability. It will be comparatively easy for him to debut. Will they look at Prasidh? either one of them. So you have six bowling options. The pacers will be tired, you could see that is Siraj too. Then use Kuldeep, new and fresh. Bring in your trump card for the final match and level the series," he said on his YouTube channel.

"Sundar plays at 7,8,9 and suddenly comes at 5 and slams a ton. Since he has come into the team he has been like a boon in batting and bowling. He has given that depth which has made a big difference. It looks like he can fix a spot at 5 or 6 going forward. It is a very big positive in that sense," he said. 

Shubman Gill, Indian cricket team captain, has all but confirmed that 26-year-old Arshdeep Singh, the left-arm pacer from Punjab, will play the fifth Test against England starting in London on Thursday. 

Gill also hinted that Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar will be the two front-line spinners, which means Kuldeep Yadav will most likely sit out of the fifth Test also. When asked whether Arshdeep Singh will debut and the fact that England have not gone with their front line spinner Liam Dawson for the fifth Test, the following was Shubman Gill's reply.    

"Arshdeep Singh has been asked to get ready but we will take a call on the Playing XI after looking at the pitch, by this evening. England haven't gone with a frontline spinner. Jacob Bethell and Joe Root - I think they are going to have their spinning options with them. We have Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, who have such a good job with the ball and the bat. On their front, it's a no-brainer for us," Gill said in the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

When asked why India have not gone with a specialist bowler and a batting line up that goes deep till No. 8, Gill said: "Washington, he is someone who has given us so much control with the bowling. His batting has been a really big plus for us. We are fortunate to have players like him in the team, who can prevent a collapse. With him we have improved that area."  

On Jasprit Bumrah, Gill did not conform whether the pacer is ruled out or not. "We will take a decision tomorrow, wicket looks very green. So let's see," he said.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team England Cricket Team England vs India, 2025 Kuldeep Yadav Jasprit Bumrah Arshdeep Singh Cricket