3 player battles to watch out for in India vs England 5th Test ft. Shubman Gill vs James Anderson
India and England are set to lock horns one final time in what has been an enthralling series so far, with the fifth Test to be played at the picturesque HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala from Thursday, March 7.
The hosts pulled off one of the greatest comebacks on home turf in the last game. Despite conceding a 46-run lead in their first innings, they managed to beat the visitors by five wickets. Dhruv Jurel (90 & 39*) was awarded the Player of the Match for his incredible rearguard effort in both innings.
Ravichandran Ashwin, who is fresh off a five-wicket haul in Ranchi, is set to play his 100th Test. Jonny Bairstow is also eyeing the same milestone and both the players will be keen to have a massive impact on the game.
However, with other quality players also in the mix, here are three match-ups that stand out ahead of the Dharamsala Test:
#3 Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Joe Root
Yashasvi Jaiswal probably couldn't have asked for a better series with the bat as he has arguably been the biggest reason why India are 3-1 up going into the fifth Test. In eight innings, he has scored a staggering 655 runs at a mind-boggling average of 93.57.
While he has dominated England bowlers on several occasions in this series, Joe Root has been able to dismiss the southpaw twice. Apart from being an incredible Test batter, Root has had the uncanny knack of picking up big wickets, and Ben Stokes could turn to him to get the big scalp of Jaiswal.
#2 Joe Root vs Jasprit Bumrah
Joe Root finally found some form in the series with a fantastic hundred in Ranchi. Although that century wasn't enough for England to win the game, Root once again proved why he is among the greatest batters to play the format.
Thankfully for India, Jasprit Bumrah might be back into the playing XI given he had been rested in the fourth Test in Ranchi. Having dismissed Root as many as nine times in Tests, a well-rested Bumrah will certainly aim to get the better of the star England batter again.
Root recently opened up in an interview that he wasn't regretting the reverse sweep he played off Bumrah in Rajkot. This could certainly make the match-up interesting if Root decides to try to dominate Bumrah rather than see him off.
#1 Shubman Gill vs James Anderson
Shubman Gill might have played his best Test innings to date when his 52* ensured India got over the line in Ranchi. From being on the brink of getting dropped from the squad, Gill managed to score a hundred and a couple of half-centuries and is suddenly the second-highest run-scorer in the series.
This will certainly keep the youngster in good stead while facing a potentially negative match-up with James Anderson. The veteran England pacer has got the better of Gill five times in Tests and would be fired up trying to join the 700 Test-wickets club.
Gill will be confident, but Anderson will believe he has a psychological advantage while coming up against India's No. 3.