As Shubman Gill inspected the pitch on Wednesday afternoon at The Oval, chief curator Lee Fortis stood nearby and was engaged in a chat with Akash Deep and Abhimanyu Easwaran.

A few moments later Fortis walked up to Gill, head coach Gautam Gambhir, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and chief selector Ajit Agarkar, who stood near the square. Following Fortis’ heated exchange with Gambhir on Tuesday, one expected further fireworks. However, as the cameras panned towards them, none of them spoke.

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While Gambhir and Fortis looked calm from a distance, the Indian camp wasn’t pleased with the way things had panned out. And as expectations rise from India to square the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy and finish on a high, it would have to put the incident behind it.

With England missing out on captain Ben Stokes, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse, India has the edge.

The medical team has advised against playing Jasprit Bumrah, but captain Gill admitted that on a surface that could be ‘lively’, and the team will take a call on his selection considering the conditions and weather forecast.

If Bumrah misses out, the onus will fall upon Mohammed Siraj and Akash. The latter returns to the side after missing out on the previous Test.

Having claimed 17 wickets between them in the win at Edgbaston, expectations will be high from both the pacers. With the surface having a tinge of green on the match eve, Arshdeep Singh could potentially make his red-ball debut as the third seamer. “Arshdeep has been asked to get ready,” Gill confirmed, without divulging details.

A favourable record for pacers at The Oval could mean Kuldeep Yadav misses out on selection in the final Test.
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PTI

Records show that since the beginning of 2023, seamers have claimed 617 wickets in 22 first-class games played at the iconic venue, whereas spinners have grabbed only 79. That could potentially weaken Kuldeep Yadav’s chances of making the side as Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja could continue.

India is expected to pursue B. Sai Sudharsan at No. 3, despite his duck in the second innings of the previous Test. Dhruv Jurel will be brought in as the wicketkeeper-batter in place of Rishabh Pant, who has been ruled out due to a fractured foot.

Captain Gill and K.L. Rahul have put up consistent performances, and Jadeja and Washington’s contributions have added depth to India’s batting unit. Coming on the back of centuries, the all-rounders will hope to keep the momentum going.

However, for England, the absence of Stokes is a huge blow. He was not only the team’s most impactful bowler in the series, but also led from the front in the trickiest of situations. With Jacob Bethell being drafted for his first Test of the season, he is expected to take care of the spin department along with Joe Root. But getting the best out of Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue remains a challenge for stand-in captain Ollie Pope.

Against a depleted England, India has the best opportunity to restore parity.