Sanjay Bangar picks his Indian XI for ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test, suggests 3 changes with Jasprit Bumrah part of the side

Former India player Sanjay Bangar has picked his Indian XI for the fifth Test against England. He has suggested three changes and urged the team management to play Jasprit Bumrah in the series decider.

The final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy will be played at The Oval from Thursday, July 31, onwards. There are uncertainties about Bumrah's availability for the game, considering he was supposed to play only three Tests, which he has already done.

During an interaction on the Star Sports show 'Game Plan,' Bangar opined that India don't need to play an extra specialist batter in the XI, with Dhruv Jurel replacing Rishabh Pant being the only change in the top seven.

"Out of the seven batters that may potentially bat at the Oval in the top seven, five have got hundreds. So do you really require another batter batting at No. 8? I don't think that is needed at the moment. The second-most important conversation would be to see where Jasprit Bumrah is," he said.

The former India all-rounder added that Bumrah should be a part of the visitors' playing XI.

"If you think of how Jasprit Bumrah bowled in the last Test match, he certainly extended his length of spells. When he had a bit of a niggle, he still came back and bowled. So he doesn't seem to be in any sort of discomfort, at least from a distance. So make him play because this is a must-win Test match for India," Bangar reasoned.

Bangar reckoned that while Akash Deep will likely replace Anshul Kamboj in the XI, Kuldeep Yadav should play ahead of Shardul Thakur.

"That would sort a lot of the issues as far as bowling is concerned because (Mohammed) Siraj is anyway going to play. Maybe Anshul may miss out, and Akash Deep might just come back in. So one spot remains. Whether Shardul Thakur plays or there is a place for Kuldeep Yadav, I would be tempted to go with Kuldeep Yadav," he observed.

Sanjay Bangar's Indian XI for ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep

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"He can clearly play as a batter in this team and maybe bat at No. 5 as well" - Sanjay Bangar on Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja scored an unbeaten century in India's second innings of the fourth Test. [P/C: Getty]

In the same interaction, Sanjay Bangar was asked whether he is considering Ravindra Jadeja as a specialist batter.

"If he has scored close to 500 runs and batted 900 balls in the series, at the moment, let's just think that whatever he gives with the ball is a bonus. He can clearly play as a batter in this team and maybe bat at No. 5 as well," he responded.

While observing that Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Dhruv Jurel can bat interchangeably from No. 5 to No. 7, the former India batting coach added that Kuldeep Yadav needs to be played.

"However, if Washington Sundar has scored a hundred batting at No. 5, it could be either-or, and Dhruv Jurel can slot in at No. 6 or No. 7. I think India does need the wrist-spin aspect. Most teams play an extra spinner at The Oval. So think and consider that your bonus bowler is just a batter, and you play a specialist wrist-spinner," Bangar observed.

However, Sanjay Bangar acknowledged that India would not be able to play three spinners if the pitch at The Oval is a green top. He noted that he would play Shardul Thakur in place of Kuldeep Yadav in such a scenario.

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Edited by Kartik Iyer