India in better mental, physical shape for their must-win match

India haven't played 3 spinners in England since 1990, but to win the Test picking Kuldeep could be key

- Ashis Ray

The Oval in 1971 witnessed a quantum leap forward for Indian cricket. Ajit Wadekar’s side won a Test match in England here for the first time to also triumph in the series.

At this venerable venue south of River Thames which staged the first ever Test in England in 1880, India prevailed on their last visit as well, in 2021. It's a setting where, psychologically, Indian cricketers feel most at home in England.

The tourists would, in fact, confront England in the finale of the current five-Test series in better mental and physical shape than their opponents. It was demoralising for the hosts that they failed to bowl India out in their second innings in the fourth Test at Old Trafford despite having more than five sessions of play at their disposal to execute the task on a wearing pitch.

Besides, England’s bowlers rather ran themselves into the ground, delivering 257.1 overs in the match and being compelled to be on their feet for much of the last two days. The mere three days of downtime before the showdown at The Oval renders recovery a challenging process. Indeed, the home team’s captain Ben Stokes, after his Herculean feat of capturing five wickets in the Indian first innings and scoring a century, was virtually hors de combat with hamstring and shoulder niggles.