India's Playing XI for fifth Test: Karun Nair set for comeback; Kuldeep Yadav to miss out again, says report

Kuldeep Yadav is set to be ignored again and Karun Nair may get one more chance in the fifth and final India vs England Test at The Oval that starts on Thursday (31 July), a report states. We reported earlier that Jasprit Bumrah would be sitting out, as a decision has been made collectively by the player, selectors, and India management  to prioritise his workload. And while Akash Deep, who is now fit after missing the fourth Test due to a back issue, would be replacing Bumrah in the playing XI, India are also set to make some other big bang changes.

Many fans and experts hoped, coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill would be leaning towards spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the absence of Bumrah, as they would need a genuine wicket-taker in the team. India trail 2-1 in the five-match series and The Oval Test is their final opportunity to level the score.

Karun Nair set for comeback; Kuldeep to miss out again

However, a report in the Indian Express on Thursday has claimed that it will be Karun Nair who will come into the playing XI as a replacement for Shardul Thakur and not Kuldeep. This means India would be sticking to their policy to have at least eight batters in the line-up.

Also Read | Oval Test: The Bumrah decision, the Kuldeep no-brainer and the Arshdeep call

Dhruv Jurel would replace injured Rishabh Pant, while pacer Prasidh Krishna would take Anshul Kamboj’s place and not Arshdeep Singh, the report added.

India had called up N Jagadeesan to the squad after Pant injured his toe in the Manchester Test, but Jurel was always the favourite to play the fifth Test. The biggest surprises are Prasidh coming and not Arshdeep and even bigger is Karun Nair getting another opportunity, while Kuldeep remains on the bench.

Also Read | Ben Stokes misses out as England make a whopping 4 changes for Oval Test

This, however, aligns with Gambhir and Gill’s strategy of safety-first.

India likely Playing XI for 5th Test vs England: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna