By Shah Faisal
All four Tests in this gripping India-England series have gone the full five days—and so have the bowlers. England have largely managed to avoid any serious injury, the signs of wear are showing. Ben Stokes himself has bowled 140 overs and looked visibly drained by the end of the drawn fourth Test. With just a three-day gap before the finale at The Oval, England have moved quickly to inject fresh energy—bringing Jamie Overton back into the squad for the fifth and final Test.
Overton, who last played Test cricket in 2022 against New Zealand, offers England raw pace and bounce—qualities they might be tempted to unleash on a traditionally truer Oval surface. In his only Test so far, he bowled 222 deliveries, picked up 2 wickets for 146 runs, and, more notably, scored a crucial 97 with the bat. His addition strengthens not just the pace depth but potentially the lower-order batting too.
Gus Atkinson is also in strong contention. The Surrey pacer has had an eye-catching start to his Test career: in 12 matches, he has claimed 55 wickets at an average of 22.30, with three five-wicket hauls and a stunning strike rate of 35.7. More impressively, his strike rate in home Tests is a shade under 30—putting him in elite territory for wicket-taking potential. Add to that a recent first-class hundred, and England might feel he adds to their batting depth as well.
Chris Woakes (167 overs), Brydon Carse (155), and Stokes (140) have done much of the hard yards for England. Jofra Archer too has had a demanding return to Test cricket after four years away. Speaking after the draw in Manchester, Stokes said:
“If you look at how long we’ve been out in the field and the overs that we bowled as a bowling unit, everyone is going to be pretty sore and pretty tired going into the last game of the series. There’ll be an assessment of everyone, and hopefully we can use these next two or three days’ rest period wisely and then have to make a decision.”
England cancelled their Tuesday training to allow maximum recovery and will regroup at The Oval on Wednesday.
Across the aisle, India’s bowlers have also borne the brunt of the five-day marathons. Jasprit Bumrah has bowled with relentless intensity across surfaces, while Mohammed Siraj, who has been key in short bursts, left the field during the fourth Test to nurse a minor niggle. It’s not just England feeling the load—this is a series that has tested bodies and minds.
With no definitive word yet on England’s final XI, all eyes will be on how much faith the selectors put in Overton’s raw pace or Atkinson’s strike power. Either way, a fresh pair of legs might just prove decisive in a series that’s gone the distance.
England squad for the fifth Test against India:
Ben Stokes (capt), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.
India: Fit Bowlers , Unfit Pant
So far, Indian management looks unconcerned and it looks as if their bowlers are going to be fit for the next Test in The Oval . Though Siraj and Bumrah have taken a great toil and load in all the Four tests – Bumrah in three- but their coach Gautam Gambir said that all his bowlers are fit. From his statement it can be presumed that Bumrah might play the final test. Though he was expected to play only three, that he has now.
The real concern for India is their keeper Rishab Pant who is out of the fifth test after contracting an injury on his foot. India will need to replace him but they need someone who can add the additional advantage that Pant brought to his team . He scored quick and heavy runs and also added good support while India bowled. It is certain that the new replacement might not bring the X-factor that Pant had. On the contrary India would wish that the keeper does what he is selected for.