Subhayan Chakraborty in London
India stepped onto The Oval for their first training session ahead of the fifth and final Test against England on an overcast day in London. The entire coaching staff, including head coach Gautam Gambhir, started the day by taking a close look at the greenish Oval pitch. They were soon joined by England head coach Brendon McCullum, who was wearing a casual sweatshirt and jeans. As the players completed their warm-up, the focus quickly shifted to a heated altercation between Gambhir and The Oval’s head groundsman, Lee Fortis. Fingers were pointed, and words were exchanged as Fortis expressed concerns about protecting the square. Gambhir was overheard saying: “Don’t tell me about my job.”
After batting coach Sitanshu Kotak calmed the situation, attention returned to the practice session, where most Indian players opted to rest. Among the XI from the Manchester Test, Sai Sudharsan, Anshul Kamboj and Shardul Thakur were present. Others at the nets included Dhruv Jurel, who is set to replace Rishabh Pant in the XI at The Oval, fit-again Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Abhimanyu Easwaran and new-joiner Narayan Jagadeesan.
With focus on the team combination for the Oval Test, it was notable that Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj chose to rest, possibly hinting at their involvement in the series decider. Arshdeep and Akash were impressive with the ball, troubling Jurel and Sai consistently. Both were given the new ball, and the duo made it talk, leaving a strong impression on the coaches before the final XI would be decided. Prasidh also looked potent at the nets, as he had in Manchester before the team management opted for Kamboj’s debut. The playing XI for the Oval Test will be finalised on the eve of the game. Sai, who plays for Surrey in the County Championship — the local team at the Oval — is set to retain his place in the XI, with Jurel expected to be the only change in the batting line-up.
There were numerous discussions between bowling coach Morne Morkel and Arshdeep, but with Akash and Prasidh available, it will be interesting to see whether the team management decides to hand another debut in the series.
Kuldeep continued to impress at the nets, as he has throughout the series, beating Sai, Jagadeesan and Jurel multiple times. Later, he had a lengthy chat with Gambhir, but with overcast skies predicted for the entire Oval Test, whether the team picks Kuldeep over Shardul remains a tricky decision. With the main batters resting, the bowlers also had a hit at the nets.
While the England team cancelled their optional nets session and press conference on Tuesday, the Indian team also decided to keep the intensity light due to the short turnaround time between Old Trafford and The Oval.
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