Oval Test: England elect to field; India make four changes
What's the story
The gureling five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has approached its business end. England and India are locking horns in the 5th and final Test at London's iconic Kennington Oval. The hosts lead the five-match series 2-1 after winning at Headingley and Lord's. Meanwhile, India exhibited uncanny resistance to draw the Manchester Test. England captain Ollie Pope has won the toss and elected to field in London.
England
Pope replaces injured Stokes as captain
England had already announced their XI. In a major blow, skipper Ben Stokes was ruled out with a shoulder injury. While Ollie Pope has taken over, England have rested bowlers Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, and Liam Dawson. England's XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (wicket-keeper), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, and Josh Tongue.
Indian XI
Four changes in Indian XI
India have made four changes to their XI from the Old Trafford Test. Dhruv Jurel, Karun Nair, Akash Deep, and Prasidh Krishna have come in for Rishabh Pant, Shardul Thakur, Anshul Kamboj, and Jasprit Bumrah respectively. Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (captain), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, and Mohammed Siraj.
Venue record
How England, India have fared at The Oval
India have played 15 Tests at The Oval, as per ESPNcricinfo. They have won two and lost six matches here, with seven games ending in draws. Notably, India's wins at this venue came in 1971 and 2021. Meanwhile, England have played 106 Tests at The Oval. The hosts have won 45 and lost 24 matches here, with 37 games ending in draws.
H2h record
Overall head-to-head record
Overall, England and India have faced each other in 140 Tests since their first encounter in 1932. Out of these, India have won 36 matches while England emerged victorious in 53. The remaining 51 matches have been drawn. On English soil, the two teams have played 71 matches, with India winning 10 and losing on 38 occasions.
Stats
A look at notable stats
Ben Stokes was the Player of the Match at Lord's and Old Trafford. He finished with 304 runs and 17 wickets. His compatriot Joe Root owns two Test tons at The Oval, both against India. Only two teams have crossed the 900-run mark in Tests. England were the first to do so in the 1938 Oval Test against Australia (903/7d).