A few visuals have surfaced on social media of some showers in London, an hour before the toss for the fifth and final Test between England and India. With rains and overcast weather expected even during the match, Day 1 is likely to witness some interruptions at The Kia Oval ground.
With Team India trailing the series 2-1 ahead of the final Test, they must win at The Oval to level it. During the presser on Wednesday, Indian skipper Shubman Gill had rightfully mentioned that even drawing the series would be a significant achievement for what is a young side. All eyes would be on their team combination for the fixture, with Jasprit Bumrah firmly in focus.
As far as the pitch at The Kia Oval goes, a green surface was seen, with plenty of grass on it. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether it will support the seamers for a long amount of time or will flatten out quickly.
"One of the most important things in this series is that all the matches have gone to Day Five" - Shubman Gill
Meanwhile, Gill and England captain Ben Stokes shared a similar sentiment as far as gap between the 4th and 5th Test goes, claiming that all five matches have gone to day five, making recovery a bit difficult. The 25-year-old had said, as quoted by India Today:
"One of the most important things in this series is that all the matches have gone to Day Five - and not just that, the final session of Day Five. I can't remember a series where all four Test matches played so far have gone right down to the last moments. So yes, it is definitely hard."
Stokes, meanwhile, stated:
"I guess you can look back on a five-game series and ask if the gaps between games could have been a little better. You've had two eight- and nine-day turnarounds and two three-days - maybe you could look at making it five for every game so there's consistency."
With Stokes opting for a heavy bowling workload in this series, the right shoulder injury has ruled him out of the final Test.
