INDIA fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the fifth and final Test at the Oval on Thursday. England stand-in captain Ollie Pope won the toss and chose to field.
Bumrah, who has been managing a back injury this year, was limited to three matches in the current series.
The 31-year-old played his third game in the drawn third Test at Old Trafford, where he bowled 33 overs, taking two wickets while conceding 100 runs for the first time in a Test innings.
India, needing a win in south London to level the five-match series 2-2, opted not to play Bumrah in the decider.
Both teams made four changes each for the match, after a tight schedule of five Tests in 44 days.
Bumrah and pacer Anshul Kamboj were replaced by Akash Deep, who took 10 wickets in India’s third-Test win at Edgbaston, and Prasidh Krishna.
Karun Nair came in for Shardul Thakur, while Dhruv Jurel replaced wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who broke his foot in Manchester.
England announced their team on Wednesday. Captain Ben Stokes, the series’ leading wicket-taker, was ruled out with a shoulder injury from the third Test.
Jacob Bethell makes his first Test appearance of 2025, replacing Stokes.
Pacers Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson, and Jamie Overton were included, with Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse rested.
Liam Dawson was dropped, leaving England without a specialist spinner.
Teams
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (capt), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (wkt), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (capt), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wkt), Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj
Umpires: Ahsan Raza (PAK), Kumar Dharmasena (SRI)
TV Umpire: Rod Tucker (AUS)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)
