IND vs ENG 5th Test | ‘Team is going to be fine’: Former England captain weighs in on Arshdeep Singh debut, Kuldeep Yadav’s chances | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: As India brace for the high-stakes fifth and final Test against England at The Oval, beginning Thursday, all eyes are on Shubman Gill’s young side, which trails 1-2 in the fiercely contested series. After a dramatic turnaround at Manchester, where India clinched a morale-boosting draw, momentum and nerves are both in play ahead of the decider.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The build-up to the finale has been dominated by speculation around India’s playing XI, particularly the availability of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and the possible debut of left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh. Wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav’s selection remains uncertain, with pitch conditions at The Oval set to influence the call.
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In a pre-match discussion on Cricbuzz, former England captain Michael Vaughan and former India keeper Dinesh Karthik weighed in on India’s strategy.
“In 2021-22, when India came to England, India were ahead 2-1 walking into the final Test and lost the finale. It became two-all,” Karthik pointed out. “Before that, when England were 2-1 in 2018, they went on to comfortably win at The Oval. Put everything into context. How much of an impetus is this game for India?”Vaughan responded: “Even if they lose at The Oval, I’ve seen enough in this series to say this young Indian team is going to be fine. But if Shubman Gill can win at the Oval and make it 2-2, it’ll be massive. England has been one of the hardest places to tour in the last 15-20 years.”On India’s bowling options, Vaughan was clear: “Arshdeep Singh – left-armer for the off-spinner,” when asked to choose between Arshdeep and Prasidh Krishna.Karthik followed up: “But you’re not playing Kuldeep?”Vaughan replied: “No, unless it’s a really dry one. Then maybe three and three. But I can’t imagine it’ll be that dry.”Vaughan’s final verdict was unambiguous: Arshdeep Singh should get the nod, while Kuldeep Yadav might miss out unless the surface turns out to be unusually dry.
