England face India in the fifth and final Test match in Dharamsala starting March 7. The Test match starts at 9:30 pm IST. Since England won the first Test in Hyderabad, nothing has gone right for them.
The team did not make the most of the decisive moments and did not take advantage of the moments when India was on the defensive in the series. The Ranchi Test defeat was the third in a row for England under Ben Stokes for the first time.
The defeat once again opened up the topic of England’s ultra-aggressive approach and whether the team could have softened its approach a little.
For the last few days it has been raining constantly in Dharamshala. Temperatures are well below and conditions are cold. Meanwhile, there are reports that India are likely to prepare a rank change to ensure they have an advantage in the Test match.
In this article, we take a look at England’s likely playing XI in Dharamsala. There is talk that Ollie Robinson will be dropped and Gus Atkinson will replace him in the XI.
Also read: Joe Root slams Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton sitting down on his podcast
England play 11 against India, fifth test, 2024
Zak Crawley
Zak Crawley will continue to open the batting for England. He is their leading run-getter in the series so far with 328 runs at an average of 41. The England team management has stuck with Crawley since Ashes 2023.
Ben Duckett
Duckett will open the batting along with Crawlwy. He has also scored over 300 runs in the series and has been hot and cold since his century in the third Test in Rajkot.
Pope will bat at three. He had had a torrid time in the series since his 196 in the first Test in Hyderabad. Since then he has scored 23, 23, 39, 3, 0 and 0.
Joe root
Joe Root will bat at four. He returned to form with a century in the fourth Test at Ranchi playing orthodox cricket. That was his 10th Test ton against India. Root has scored more than 200 runs in the series so far.
Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow has struggled with the bat in the series so far averaging just 21. The upcoming Test match is the 100th for England and they will be looking to make it special. Bairstow has scored 170 runs in 8 innings.
ben stokes
Stokes, as captain, has struggled with the bat. There was talk of him bowling in Ranchi, but that didn’t happen. His captaincy was praised by many. The England captain 3 and 4 in the two innings in Ranchi.
Ben Foakes (WK)
Ben Foakes will bat at seven. He has been very good in the series so far and has contributed key scores with the bat. He has scored 173 runs in 8 innings at an average of 21.62.
Tom Hartley
Hartley is the highest wicket-taker in the series so far. He has taken 20 wickets in four matches at an average of 33.45 and has also bowled the most overs in the Test series (211).
Shoaib Bashir
Bashir will bat at nine. He played only two Test matches and already took 12 wickets. He took 8 wickets in the last Test, including the first fifer from him.
James Anderson
Anderson will bat at number 10. The veteran pacer had had a tough tour of India this time without taking too many wickets. So far, he has only scored 8 in three Test matches. He is three Test wickets short of 150 wickets against India.
Gus Atkinson
Atkinson could replace Ollie Robinson in the final Test in Dharamsala. He has so far played nine Test matches and three T20IS for England.
Also read: Jonny Bairstow denies dedicating his 100th test to any of his teammates or coaches