India v England, 5th Test - India Predicted XI

Team India have been on a roll this season. They started off with a lacklustre performance in the first Test against England. At Rajkot, they had a brief scare when they were 6 wickets down on the final day. But since then, the Virat Kohli-led side has seen a massive overhaul of fortunes. Three consecutive wins in the next three matches saw India all over the hapless English side. The victory margins kept getting bigger and better. They convincingly won the Vizag Test by a margin of 246 runs. All players have done their bit. Parthiv Patel came in as the wicket-keeper replacement in the third Test at Mohali. He contributed heavily as India trounced England by 8 wickets in the 3rd Test. The fourth Test at Mumbai was the best out of the three. Ravi Ashwin’s 12 wicket haul saw India take the winning lead of 3-0 in the 5-match series. The action now moves to the final Test at Chennai. A lot of eyes will be glued on the Indian team and the combination that Virat Kohli goes in with. Having won the series, India can look to try a few benched players. But will Virat Kohli tinker with the winning combination? Another point to note is that Kohli has never played with the same eleven in his Test captaincy career. Here is the predicted XI for the final Test at Chennai: 1. Murali Vijay Murali Vijay. (Photo Source: BCCI) Murali Vijay will continue to retain his place in the line-up. The stylish Indian opener struck a gritty century in the last Test at Mumbai to announce his arrival back to form. Prior to that, he had started his campaign in the series with a century at Rajkot. However, a string of low scores followed thereafter. Now, with the form back in his favour, expect the Tamil Nadu batsman to come out all guns blazing at his home ground. He will look to finish on a high and give a fitting gift to his home fans who were devastated by the cyclone recently. 2. KL Rahul Lokesh Rahul of India. (Photo by RANDY BROOKS/AFP/Getty Images) KL Rahul came in with a big reputation in the two Tests that he has played in the series so far. He has been in and out of the playing eleven in the alternate matches. However, he looks set and fit to take the field in the final Test. KL Rahul has been in a good form in domestic cricket. Make no mistake, the Karnataka lad is more than capable of converting good domestic form to the international form. He is yet to click in the series so far. This is what would make the team management believe that a big knock is just around the corner for him. 3. Cheteshwar Pujara Cheteshwar Pujara. (Photo Source: BCCI) Cheteshwar Pujara has been the most consistent batsman for India in the last couple of series. Pujara carried forward his excellent Test run from the New Zealand series to the England series. He hit successive tons in the first two Tests at Rajkot and Vizag. A couple of half centuries followed in the next two Tests. Pujara has been the key in playing an ideal support for skipper Virat Kohli in the middle order. Both these batsmen have been consistently putting on marathon stands in the series thus far. 4. Virat Kohli Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: BCCI) Team India skipper Virat Kohli has led from the front in the series so far. He has undoubtedly been the most explosive of all the players in the series. His best came in the Mumbai Test when he hit a magnificent 235 to help India pile on runs in excess of 600. Earlier, he had hit 167 in the same series. With 3 double tons to his name in this calendar year, Virat Kohli will have the opportunity to equal the world record for most double hundreds in a calendar year. Michael Clarke holds the record with 4 double centuries in 2012. Virat Kohli will have a shot at it. 5. Karun Nair Karun Nair. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Karun Nair was the beneficiary when Ajinkya Rahane was injured ahead of the fourth Test in Mumbai. However, he failed to make the most of the opportunity bestowed on him. Nair made his Test debut in the third Test at Mohali. He was unfortunate to be run out on 4 in his maiden Test knock. The Test at Mumbai was not fruitful either. For a batsman who has a reputation of hitting big runs in the domestic circuit, it is only a matter of time that Karun Nair announces himself in grand fashion at a level higher. He is likely to retain his place in the side. 6. Parthiv Patel Parthiv Patel. (Photo Source: BCCI) With Wriddhiman Saha still not in the frame for a Test return, Parthiv Patel was retained in the Indian squad for the final Test. Patel had impressed one and all with a scintillating comeback in the Mohali Test. He had made it to the Test team after a gap of 8 years. He scored a brisk 67 in Mohali to impress one and all. However, he was demoted to the lower order owing to the return of regular opener KL Rahul. Parthiv Patel is likely to bat in the lower middle order in the final Test as well. 7. Ravichandran Ashwin Ravichandran Ashwin. (Photo Source: BCCI) Ravichandran Ashwin has been India’s main man in the series. He has been the wrecker-in-chief as the English batsmen have failed to find their feet in the series. Ashwin started off poorly in the series but has only got better as the matches progressed. It was his 12-wicket haul in the Mumbai Test that broke the back of the English batting lineup in both the innings. With Chennai offering another spin-friendly track, expect Ashwin to play well. Moreover, it will be his home ground and hence the intensities are bound to rise for the Indian offspinner. 8. Ravindra Jadeja Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo Source: BCCI) Ravindra Jadeja has been India’s most consistent all-rounder in the longest format of the game. He bowled well in the first two Tests but the best came in the third Test. At Mohali, Jadeja performed well not just with the bat but also with the ball. He scored a brilliant 90 in the Mohali Test and then backed it up with a four-wicket haul to earn the Man of the Match. In the Mumbai Test, he gave the ideal support to Ravi Ashwin and bagged another 4 wicket haul in the first innings. 9. Jayant Yadav Jayant Yadav. (Photo Source: BCCI) Jayant Yadav has been a revelation for Team India in the series. There is absolutely no reason why he will not feature in the last game of the series. He has beautifully played the role of the third spinner in the team. More importantly, he has been more than just a handy batsman in the lower-order. Batting at number 9, he hit a classy century at Mumbai to make a strong case for himself. His contributions with the bat in the lower order has been instrumental in helping India put on massive totals. 10. Bhuvneshwar Kumar Bhuvneshwar Kumar. (Photo Source: BCCI) Bhuvneshwar Kumar was brought back in the playing eleven in the 4th Test after Mohammad Shami was ruled out following an injury. Shami might well recover but it is unlikely that India will play their main man considering the long season ahead. Shami might be given rest and Bhuvneshwar is likely to retain his place in the team. He bowled with guile and precision in the last match. He dismissed the centurion opener Keaton Jennings for a golden duck in the second innings of the Mumbai Test. 11. Umesh Yadav Umesh Yadav. (Photo Source: BCCI) Umesh Yadav has impressed all with his fiery pace at the start of each innings. He has managed to get the edges off the bat of the English openers. He has only been unlucky not to have many wickets to show up in the wickets column as most of the catches have been dropped off his bowling. While India might get tempted to play someone else in the final Test, it will only be a wise decision to give Umesh Yadav yet another match under his belt to get the confidence going into the limited overs series.

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India v England, 5th Test - India Predicted XI

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