England won the toss and elected to bat first against India in the fifth and the final Test match at Kia Oval in London.
Following their massive collapse in the fourth Test in Southampton and thereby losing the series, Indian skipper Virat Kohli has made 2 major changes in the side. Uncapped batsman Hanuma Vihari became the 292nd player to represent India in Test cricket. He will make his debut today at the Oval and has replaced all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
In addition, leading off-spinner R Ashwin, who picked up an injury in Southampton, has been dropped for the game. His absence has made way for left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja who was benched for the previous four Tests.
On the other hand, English skipper Joe Root has already announced an unchanged squad for the final face-off against England. This match is going to be the last international game for former England skipper Alastair Cook.
Moreover, wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow has recovered from his fractured finger and will play his role accordingly behind the stumps.
Moeen Ali, who retained his place in the playing XI following his magical 9-wicket haul, has been named at number three on the list of players. This means he is likely to come to bat at number 3 in the batting order.
"We will try to make as many runs in the first innings. We get good wickets here, it will be tough to start. I will bat at four and I will try to get the best out of myself. Jonny has been flawless in the last 18 months. His challenge will be to continue the hard work. We have played good cricket throughout the Test series," said Root.
Here's the playing XIs of both the teams:
India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah
England (Playing XI): Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Joe Root(c), Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w), Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Stuart Broad, James Anderson