IND best XI vs ENG, Oval Test: 3 spinners-3 pacers - How Gautam Gambhir's India can escape three series defeats in a row

IND best XI vs ENG, Oval Test: 3 spinners-3 pacers - How Gautam Gambhir's India can escape three series defeats in a row (BCCI Photo)

How do you describe Anshul Kamboj's bowling? Some jokes can be below the belt. Safe to say that the 24-year-old from Haryana bowled at a speed that was under medium-pace on his Test debut in Manchester. Kamboj returned with 1/89 from 18 overs. Ben Duckett would be disappointed to get out to the debutant.

Kamboj looked like a fish out of water in Test cricket, and he is unlikely to play in the fifth and final Test at The Oval, starting on July 31. Who should be his replacement?

Akash Deep missed the fourth Test due to an injury, but as Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, has confirmed, all the fast bowlers are fit now. So, Akash coming in for Kamboj should be a straightforward decision. But there's a catch. At Old Trafford, England posted 669 in their first innings as Jasprit Bumrah was stingless. There's a question mark over his participation in the final Test, and if India's premier fast bowler opts out, the team will need a serious wicket-taking option. After benching him for four consecutive Tests, the team management might be tempted to play Kuldeep Yadav.

In fact, it's a travesty that the world's best spinner hasn't got a game yet in the ongoing England-India series under the pretext of team balance. During the Old Trafford Test, India's bowling coach Morne Morkel told reporters that the team was trying to fit Kuldeep into the mix.

“So Kuldeep, we are trying to find a way for him, but it is just that more consistent runs from our top six that we want so that we can bring a guy like Kuldeep in,” Morkel had said.

Spinners traditionally get help at The Oval as the match progresses and Kuldeep, a left-arm wrist-spinner, might benefit from the extra bounce on the surface. There's a school of thought that with winning being the only option to square the series, Kuldeep must play, notwithstanding an overload of spinners in the playing XI.

Kuldeep, if he plays, can't come in for Shardul Thakur. The senior player isn't bowling much, but India's porous lower-order needs batting protection and Shardul somewhat offers that. In fact, at The Oval, India’s bowling combination could be three fast bowlers (including Shardul) and three spinners. In fact, that would be India's best combination.

Will Bumrah play? Even before the start of the series, it was decided that he wouldn't be playing more than three Tests, with an eye on his workload. If the great bowler sits out, Akash is likely to replace him.

There will be a forced change, with Rishabh Pant ruled out of the series owing to a fractured metatarsal. Dhruv Jurel will replace him. The batting unit is likely to be unchanged.

Best possilble XI: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah/Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj