Watch: KL Rahul’s horrible shot gifts Chris Woakes early wicket in Oval Test
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India is playing probably the most crucial game of the entire series at The Kennington Oval. India is trailing in the series with a margin of 2-1, and only one win in the final Test can lead them to share the trophy alongside the hosts.
India was sent in to bat first by the new English skipper Ollie Pope, who replaced Ben Stokes for the final Test. Shubman Gill lost his 5 consecutive tosses as the Test captain; hence, Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul made their way to the middle for India.
Chris Woakes baffles KL Rahul again
Indian opener KL Rahul has had a fair battle against the English new-ball bowler Chris Woakes. Woakes has been delivering constant long spells with the new ball for England, while Rahul has also been resisting him on major occasions, but the bowler has also had the upper hand in certain instances.
With Jaiswal dismissed and runs not coming very easily, Woakes lured KL Rahul into playing a cut by bowling slightly on the shorter side. However, the ball was bending, and KL Rahul under-edged the ball to play it down onto his stumps.
Chris Woakes strikes! 🔥
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 31, 2025
KL Rahul chops on and departs for 14.
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India switched to 8 batters for the Final Test
The Indian side has opted for a new playing lineup for the final match against England, as they have brought back Karun Nair in the playing 11, replacing Shardul Thakur, who played as a bowling all-rounder in Manchester.
Since India could not settle on a fourth pacer who could be used significantly, they have dared to go with three pacers only while bringing in an extra batter, alongside the two all-rounders, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja, who scored hundreds in the last innings at Old Trafford.
Another major change in India's playing 11 is that they miss out on their third-highest run-getter in the series, Rishabh Pant. Pant has been ruled out due to an injury, and Dhurv Jurel makes his debut on English soil as a batter.
ALSO READ: Watch: Chris Woakes fumes at Oval curator Lee Fortis after fight with Gautam Gambhir
India returns with Edgbaston pace trio for the final decisive Test
India has won just one match in the series so far, despite having had several close encounters, just like the one at Lord's, which ended in a tragic 22-run defeat while chasing a minor total of 192 runs.
However, their only win came at Edgbaston, the iconic ground where Shubman Gill led India to their maiden Test victory with a mammoth margin of 336 runs. India's great pacer Jasprit Bumrah was rested in that match with workload concerns, and hence, Mohammed Siraj led the bowling deck.
He was supported by Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep, who made their debut on English soil in that game. Akash Deep picked four wickets in the first inning and then castled the English batters with a 6-for in the second. He emerged as a new addition to the list of elite Indian bowlers with a 10-wicket haul in England.
India has gone with the same Edgbaston trio of Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna for the final Test as well, while relying on Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar for the spin department.
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India National Cricket Team England National Cricket Team India vs England England vs India Chris Woakes KL Rahul
