Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir rallied his players as he visited the High Commission in London ahead of the fifth and final Test against England, beginning at The Kia Oval on July 31. Gambhir stated that they have one final push to make their country proud and will do everything in their power to do so.
Although the tourists cannot win the series anymore, they stand a chance of drawing it 2-2 by winning the final Test at The Oval. Team India staged a remarkable rearguard on Day 5 of the fourth Test against England in Manchester, batting for more than 130 overs as Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar struck centuries.
Speaking at the High Commission in London, the former Indian opener said:
"The last five weeks have been really exciting for both countries. I am sure that the kind of cricket that was put on display has made every cricket lover proud. Both teams threw a lot of punches and fought for every inch. We have one more week to go. One final push to make. One final opportunity to make our country proud. Jai Hind."
Rishabh Pant ruled out of fifth and final Test
One forced change that Team India will have to make for the fifth and final Test will be Rishabh Pant, who has been ruled out due to the right foot injury sustained while batting in Manchester. While Narayanan Jagadeesan has been added to the squad, he is unlikely to play as Dhruv Jurel seems to be the frontrunner.
India's updated squad for the fifth Test:
Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj, Arshdeep Singh, N Jagadeesan (WK).
India had defeated England the last time these two sides played at The Oval.
