IND vs ENG 5th Test pitch report: India and England are all set to close out the five-match Test series at 1457m above sea level. The series which initially looked to be going down the wire into the final Test, especially after India lost the opener, is well and truly over by the time the teams say hello to the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.
India are 3-1 ahead and they have the resources to make it 4-1. Even though KL Rahul is not available and they already missed Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami, the Indian team would be boosted by the return of Jasprit Bumrah. Meanwhile, England have named their playing XI a day before the Test as they do now. The solitary change for the English side is the return of speed merchant Marok Wood, who comes in for Ollie Robinson.
Though the series might be over and it may seem like the dead rubber, there is still plenty to play for with crucial World Test Championship points on the line and pride of the teams too. Here is how the pitch at the Dharamsala venue is expected to behave for the series finale.
HPCA Stadium Dharamsala pitch report
The picturesque HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala is a pace-friendly surface. It is chill in Dharamsala and England might feel at home away from it in the foothills of the Himalayas. The venue generally suits seam-bowling conditions. In the previous Ranji Trophy game at this venue between Delhi and Himachal Pradesh, all of the 36 wickets fell to the pacers.
Notably, Ben Stokes expects the venue to have runs in it. After looking at the surface, there seem to be some patches on it as well, which suggests that the spinners might come in handy too.
HPCA Stadium Dharamsala – The numbers game
Test matches
Total Matches – 1
Matches won batting first – 0
Matches won bowling first – 1
Average 1st innings Score – 300
Average 2nd innings Score – 332
Average 3rd innings Score – 137
Average 4th innings Score – 106
Highest total recorded – 332/10 By IND vs AUS
Lowest total recorded – 137/10 By AUS vs IND
Highest score chased – 106/2 By IND vs AUS
Lowest score defended – None
Ranji Trophy 2023/24 matches: 4
Matches won batting first: 3
Matches won batting second: 0
Matches drawn: 1
Average 1st innings total: 228
Average 2nd innings total: 247
Average 3rd innings total: 232
Average 4th innings total: 178
Highest total recorded: 482
Lowest bowled out total: 106
Probable XIs:
India’s probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj
England’s Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson, Mark Wood