A final act of consequence without the showstoppers

Injured Ben Stokes and Archer are out; Bumrah may be rested though India must win the Oval Test to square series

- Somshuvra Laha

There will be no Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes or Rishabh Pant, and possibly no Jasprit Bumrah either when India and England square up at the Oval for the final Test of one of the most riveting series in recent times.

England lead 2-1 but the absence of Stokes, who was extraordinary, and Archer might severely affect their chances of winning the series. India captain Shubman Gill didn’t commit when asked about Bumrah’s availability, but the visitors still have enough quality to level the series.

It has been that kind of tour where batters have excelled at the expense of fast bowlers. A record 1,566.3 overs have been bowled in this series, 1105.2 of them by pacers, making it the second time since 2005 when fast bowlers have had to endure this kind of workload.

The three-day gap after the Old Trafford Test thus proved too short a turnaround, which Stokes pointed out on Wednesday. “I guess you can look back ona five-game series, and could the gaps between games be a little better?” he said at the pre-match news conference. “You've had two eight and nine-day turnarounds and two three-days. Maybe you could look at making it all five for every game so there’s consistency.”