Once again it was England who held their nerves and won the fourth Test against India by a margin of 60 runs. Moeen Ali was the difference with the ball for England whose nine-wicket haul in the match proved to be a match-winning one for the hosts.
Both the teams have headed to the beautiful Kennington Oval for the fifth and the final match of the series. The fifth Test will turn out to be the final appearance for England’s legendary batsman Alastair Cook who is set to retire from international cricket.
Ahead of the fifth Test scheduled to start from Friday (September 7), England has announced their playing XI. Jonny Bairstow will resume wicketkeeping duties while Moeen Ali will bat at number three.
Skipper Joe Root has confirmed that the hosts will field the same XI that secured a 60-run win at the Rose Bowl, giving England an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series.
However, Bairstow played as a specialist batsman in that match due to a fractured finger he suffered while keeping wicket during the third Test at Trent Bridge.
Jos Buttler took over the gloves last time out but will now be back in the field at the Oval, with the vice-captain also dropping down one spot in a reshuffled batting order.
Here is England’s playing eleven:
Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Joe Root (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
