India Predicted XI vs England, 5th Test: Dilemma Over Fifth Bowler, Spin or Pace?

England vs India: It would be interesting to see that team combination India goes for and whether they would like to field two spinners in the lineup

India take on England in the series deciding rescheduled 5th Test at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham on Friday and it will be interesting to see what playing XI they go ahead with. Captain Rohit Sharma is out with Covid and Jasprit Bumrah has been handed the opportunity to lead the team for the first time. Rishabh Pant will be the deputy to Bumrah. The Indians find themselves in a stiff position due to another omission as regular opener KL Rahul is out with an injury. The team management needs to decide whether it wants to draft in Mayank Agarwal or open with either Hanuma Vihari or Cheteshwar Pujara and play Shreyas Iyer a chance in the middle order.

The bigger question though will be the decision on the fifth bowling option. Several reports suggest the pitch might have something for spinners in it and in such a situation playing both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja could be an option. But given the way England are batting ever since Brendon McCullum took over as head coach, playing two slow bowlers could backfire. India though have the cushion of a 2-1 lead and a defeat won't be catastrophic, but a victory will boost the team's morale after the 1-2 loss to South Africa earlier this year. It would also give head coach Rahul Dravid something to show for his efforts over the past 8 months.

Here's what we think will be the ideal playing XI for India

Shubman Gill: Gill needs to score a century in Test cricket. He knows that and he will be keen to do it at the biggest stage of it all. He has played several key knocks away from home but a triple figure is needed to cement his place at the top of the order. To do that he needs to curb his shot-making instincts, put his head down and bat time.

Mayank Agarwal: The brand new duke ball in England talks and that makes life very difficult for top order batters. In such circumstances it is important to open the batting with a specialist and that is why Mayank should get the nod.