Ahead of the fifth Test between England and India, SAM MOAKES builds a combined XI
India’s new Test captain may be battling Covid, but he remains in contention for a place in the side on Friday and is undoubtedly the best available opener of the two sides. Rohit averages 46.13 in 45 Test matches, slightly lower in England at 42.36, and thrives on putting pressure on the bowlers at the top of the order.
While he is famed for his shot-making ability, he put on a clinic in patience with KL Rahul in the second Test of this series before being dismissed for 86. He has so far scored 368 runs in this series, the second-most, at an average of 52.57.
Making his name with a crucial 91 in India’s famous victory at the Gabba against Australia in December 2020, Shubman Gill is the latest off the Indian batting production line. The 22-year-old may have only played ten matches, with an average of just under 33, but his raw talent and promise deserves a place in this team ahead of England’s struggling opening pair.
Perhaps the most fortunate inclusion in the top six is former India captain Virat Kohli. He has struggled for form in international cricket over the last couple of years, failing to convert any of his 22 half-centuries since his last ton in December 2019, but you don’t make 8,043 Test runs at an average of 49.95 without being an exceptional player. Few make cricket look so easy at times as Kohli, earning him a place on this list.
Jonny Bairstow [Stu Forster/Getty Images]
Calling him the man in-form in Test cricket doesn’t quite do him justice. Joe Root has made 10 Test centuries since the start of 2021, while the rest of the 'Fab Four' have only made one combined, all while shouldering the pressure of captaining a dreadful England side.
With Ben Stokes now captain, Root has, unbelievably, improved – two centuries and an average of 99 earned him player of the series honours against New Zealand alongside Daryl Mitchell. Root vs Kohli will, as it was last year, be the battle to look out for in this final match.
Hot off his heroics against New Zealand, Jonny Bairstow bats at No.5 in this combined XI. Marshalling two of England’s 250-plus run chases, Bairstow showed his raw ball-striking ability, finishing the series with 394 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 120.12.
He has so far averaged just 26.28 in this series, with a high score of 57 across seven innings, so all eyes will be on how the re-energised Yorkie goes about his business in this tie.
So often the man with bat, ball and in the field for England, Ben Stokes has added Test captaincy to his repertoire. Fresh off steering England to their first series win since the tour to Sri Lanka in January 2021, Stokes will be making his debut in the series, having taken a break due to mental health and injury issues last year.
His batting and bowling averages of 36.24 and 32.84 respectively don’t quite do England’s premier allrounder justice. He's boundary-hitting machine with the bat, battering ram with the ball and steady-handed catcher in the field - Stokes is invaluable to England and this team.
Ravichandran Ashwin [Lee Warren/Getty Images]
Adding to the boundary-hunting potential of this team is India’s Rishabh Pant, who keeps wicket ahead of England’s choices of Sam Billings or Ben Foakes. Like Shubman Gill, the 24-year-old really made a name for himself during India’s last tour of Australia, scoring match-altering knocks of 97 and 89 not out to earn a draw and a win for his side.
He wasn't at his best when the two sides met last summe but his match-winning capabilities earn him a spot in this team.
Despite Jack Leach’s 10 wickets in his last outing, the spin debate for this team was between India’s premier options. With many hard-hitting batting options already selected, Ravichandran Ashwin comes in at No.8.
A bowling record in England of 18 wickets at 28.11 against Ravindra Jadeja’s 23 wickets at 43.26 earns Ashwin a spot in this team. He also has five Test hundreds to his name and led the wicket-taking charts during India’s most recent Test series against Sri Lanka with 12 scalps at an average of just over 15. It can turn at Edgbaston, so Ashwin is likely to play an integral part toward the end of the match.
The first of two fast-bowling veterans in this side, Stuart Broad has a record that speaks for itself, with his 549 wickets at 27.96 making him the sixth-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.
Broad, a wonderful exponent of seam bowling, is best when doubted, and will likely be out to prove his worth to the side after the admirable performance of Matthew Potts on debut against New Zealand. With best innings figures of 8 for 15, the 36-year-old is one of the best around on his day.
Jasprit Bumrah [Sydney Seshibedi/Getty Images]
His quirky run up and bowling action may be unorthodox, but boy can he bowl a cricket ball. Jasprit Bumrah’s proficient use of yorkers and slower deliveries with the red ball have proved there is more than one way to nail Test cricket, backed up by his career figures of 123 wickets at an average of 21.73.
His scintillating spell of 2 for 6 from six overs on day five of the fourth test last September was remarkable, as he bowled Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow in successive balls with a classic Test inswinger and then a yorker, a testament to his all-round skillset. Often too hot to handle, Bumrah provides a point of difference to this pace attack.
You really wonder when James Anderson might be omitted from these lists, but as he approaches his 40th birthday, he’s still among the best Test bowlers in the world. He took his 650th Test wicket during the New Zealand before being left out for the third Test due to a sore ankle, but he is fully expected to come straight back in against India. His latest battle with Kohli promises to be box office entertainment.
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