Gautam Gambhir-Shubman Gill Set to Make Four Stunning Changes to Team India's Playing XI For Oval Test; Karun Nair May Return

India vs England: We are hours away from the start of the much-awaited fifth and final Test at the iconic Oval from Thursday. And with the excitement palpable, it is understood that coach Gautam Gambhir is set to make four stunning changes to the XI which played at Manchester. While this is startling, it also shows the desperation in the Indian camp. 

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Nair in For Thakur?

A report in the Indian Express suggests that Karun Nair, who was dropped for the Manchester game would be drafted back in the side. The interesting bit is that he will not replace Sai Sudarshan, instead, he will come in the side in place of Shardul Thakur. It is also understood that Jasprit Bumrah and Anshul Kamboj will both not be in the XI for the game and Akash Deep is set to return. The report claims that Arshdeep Singh or Prasidh Krishna would be in the side for Kamboj. As per the report, the big news is that Kuldeep Yadav will not be picked. The wrist-spinner, as per experts, should have been in the side. It seems the management is happy with the Ravindra Jadeja-Washington Sundar combination. 

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For the unversed, India are trailing 2-1 in the five-match series and need to win at Oval to level it up. At Oval, India has won two games in the past. But in the last game that India played at the venue was against Australia. It was the WTC final in 2023 which they lost. According to the weather forecast, there is minimal chances of rain playing spoilsport which of course is good news for the fans. 

India's likely playing XI vs England, 5th Test

KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, B Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj