"No one will talk about the second spinner if India win today" - Saba Karim
Former Indian cricketer and selector Saba Karim felt that if India win The Oval Test on Monday, no one will question their strategy of playing with a lone spinner in the match.
Although The Oval surface has a history of assisting spinners, Virat Kohli went in with four pacers and spin bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in this fourth Test.
On the final day, the England team requires 291 runs to win the match. The pitch has no demons in it, so the game is wide open for all three results.
Speaking on the Khelneeti Podcast, Saba Karim gave his opinion on whether India will miss a second spinner or not on Day 5. He said:
"It is a big day today. If India manages to win today, then no one will talk about the absence of the second spinner. Only if India loses or if the match ends in a draw, then the same old questions will be asked.
"Did India miss a trick by not playing with Ravichandran Ashwin? We all know that Ashwin is one such bowler who not only bowls wonderfully on helpful pitches but also outfoxes batsmen with his skillful bowling on placid tracks. We saw that in the WTC final as well."
It will be interesting to see if the four pacers and one spinner combination will be enough or not for Virat Kohli to push for a win in the Oval Test on Monday.
Ravindra Jadeja is the biggest threat for England on Day 5: Moeen Ali
Speaking to Sky Sports after Day 4, English all-rounder Moeen Ali reckoned Indian spinner Ravindra Jadeja would be the biggest threat to the hosts' batting lineup on the last day.
"Jasprit Bumrah is one of those bowlers that can make anything happen but Jadeja is the biggest threat on that wicket. It's such a flat wicket but we're still going to have to play well. India always fight back strongly and that's something we're going to have to be wary about."
Shardul Thakur provided the first breakthrough for India on Day 5 by dismissing Rory Burns(50) with a beautiful delivery in the 41st over. Haseeb Hameed is looking comfortable at the crease and has already scored his half-century.