Updated 4 August 2025 at 11:30 IST

IND vs ENG: Shubman Gill's Big Tactical Call Likely To Decide The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Series As England Eye Record Chase At The Oval

The India vs England series is all set to be decided on the last day of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series. England currently lead the five-match series by a margin of 2-1

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Shubman Gill attends a press conference during the Lord's Test | Image: Associated Press

IND vs ENG 5th Test: The ongoing five-match Test series between Shubman Gill's India and Ben Stokes' England will be decided on the last day. Both the hosts and visitors played some quality cricket, and this is one series that will be remembered for ages to come. Prior to the start of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series, nobody had given India a chance to win, considering the lack of experience in their side, but a young Indian team is on the cusp of levelling a hard-fought series, which is a testament to the set of skills that the players of this side have.

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The New Ball Dilemma for Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir

India had set a target of 376 runs for England to chase in the final innings of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series. The Oval wicket was quite tricky, and the batters did have a hard time on it, but England brought out their best when it mattered the most. England are currently 2-1 up in the series, and all they need to do is avoid a defeat in order to win the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

Harry Brook (111 runs off 98 balls) and Joe Root (105 runs off 152 balls) threatened to take the game and the series away from India, but a couple of quick wickets in the final session has completely changed the complexion of the game. The equation is simple for both the teams: India need 4 wickets to win, and England need 35 runs. Interestingly, the new ball will be due after the first three overs of the last day, and Shubman Gill will have to take a call on it.

The conditions in England this year have been pretty different. The new Dukes ball has shown less movement as compared to the old one. Even if the bowlers end up benefitting from the new ball, the batsmen will also find it easy to score, considering the hardness of the ball. India do not have a lot of runs to play with, and hence skipper Gill's call of taking or avoiding the new ball might dictate the result.

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Chris Woakes to Bat on Day 5

England's injured all-rounder Chris Woakes will come out to bat on the fifth and the final day of the Oval Test. If England end up requiring Woakes' services, he will come out to bat at number 11. The all-rounder had injured his right shoulder on the first day of the Test match and had been ruled out of the series.

Published By : Jishu Bhattacharya

Published On: 4 August 2025 at 11:28 IST