5 Players to Watch out for in the 5th and final Test between India and England

The upcoming rescheduled Test match between India and England will put an end to the five-match series that started last year in India. With quite a few changes in the setup for both the teams, the final Test match of the series will be an exciting one. The previous four Tests of the Pataudi Trophy saw Virat Kohli and Joe Root lead their respective sides, but both have now stepped down from captaincy, thereby passing on the baton to Rohit Sharma and Ben Stokes respectively.

The first match was drawn, and the series was followed by India winning the second Test to take a 1-0 lead. While England bounced back in the third match to level the game 1-1, India put up a tough competition to clinch the fourth game and took a 2-1 lead. The Men in blue will be aiming to clinch the title, whereas the hosts will now look to level the series by winning the match. Here are the five players to look out for in the final Test:

1. Virat Kohli

Former India Test skipper will be back in the whites, but this time without the captaincy burden. While Kohli has been going through a rough patch, his intent during the warm-up game against Leicestershire showed potential for the much-awaited comeback. He has been one of the finest Test players in India, and as always will be looked up to.

2. Joe Root

Former English skipper Joe Root returned to good form after doing away with the captaincy pressure. In the very recent Test match against New Zealand, Root slammed a ton each in the first two games of the three-match series and guided his side to a comprehensive win. He broke a couple of records and will be expected to continue the momentum.

3. Cheteshwar Pujara

The senior pro will be expected to deliver in a similar manner as he did during his County stint. He has recently played plenty of games on English soil and performed brilliantly. He notched up a handful of centuries and earned his comeback into the team after being dropped from the side for the Sri Lanka Test series at home.

4. Jonny Bairstow

The English batter amassed a magnificent ton in his recent outing against New Zealand and took the game by a storm. His 162 came off just 157 deliveries as he showed great composure. With his powerful knock, it seemed like England was back on track as they displayed the brand of cricket they were known for.

5. James Anderson

One of the most senior members of the English squad, James Anderson marked his return to Test cricket under the new Stokes-McCullum era. He scalped six wickets in the first Test against New Zealand and followed it with five wickets in the second Test to take the tally to 11 wickets in just two games before being rested for the final match. He will be looking forward to contributing to the team’s win in this game.