Played Entire Series With That Formula Only: Sanjay Bangar On Team India's Oval Test Choices

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar believes that Kuldeep Yadav should be part of India's playing XI in the fifth test against England at the Oval. However, he also feels that Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill will not be going with that formula and will potentially stick to the old options, playing all-rounder Shardul Thakur at No. 8.

During an interaction, the former cricketer was asked whether Kuldeep will finally make it to the final test of the series.

He said,

"I would certainly want him to be part of the squad, but whatever little footage that we saw of the pitch, there was a lot of grass cover. Because of that, no matter how much we want Kuldeep Yadav to play in the team, ultimately, they will decide in Shardul Thakur's favor."

Further, he said,

"Thus far, they have played the entire series with that formula only, and Gill and Gambhir will try to play with that formula only tomorrow."

It is to be noted that the fifth and final test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy will commence on July 31, Thursday, at the Oval. If we look at Team India's stats over the years at the ground, then a total of 15 matches have been played, where 2 were won by the team, 6 lost, and 7 games were drawn.

Kuldeep is yet to be featured in the series, with the host team leading in the series by 2-1.

If we look at the current updates for the fifth test, then there are reports coming up that Karun Nair will be replacing Shardul Thakur, Prasidh Krishna is all set to replace Anshul Kamboj, Akashdeep will replace Jasprit Bumrah, and Dhruv Jurel is all set to replace injured Rishabh Pant.

Today's game will be a decider one for both the teams. India is currently trailing in the series by 1-2; if they win this do-or-die match, then the series will be a draw, which will be a good sign for the Indian side.