England v India, fifth Test: All you need to know

The Cricketer provides all the information you need ahead of the fifth Test between England and India

What is it?

England are hosting India in the re-scheduled fifth Test from last summer’s five-match Test series. The Old Trafford Test was postponed due to Covid concerns.

Where is it?

The fifth Test will be held at Edgbaston after Emirates Old Trafford, last summer's venue, was deemed to not have sufficient time to prepare a Test pitch. 

When is it?

The fifth Test is scheduled to begin on Friday, July 1, with play starting at 10:30am.

What's on the line?

With the series poised at 2-1 in India’s favour and just one match remaining, the visitors have already ensured they’ll head into the next week’s T20I matches with at worst, honours even. Avoiding defeat would give India their first Test series victory in England since 2007.

England, however, will be looking for an important win to draw the series and back-up their 3-0 drubbing of New Zealand.

^{England head into the Test off the back of a series win over New Zealand [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]}

The manner in which they lost the fourth Test at The Oval, collapsing from 100 for 1 to 147 for 6 in a 147-run defeat, will also provide an incentive to prove a point against a strong Indian side.

Of course, there’s World Test Championship points on offer too. 12 points are available for a win, six for a tie, four for a draw and zero for a loss. Despite the chance to increase their winning percentage, neither side would move up the table with a win – India would retain third, and England seventh.

Head to head

Matches: 130

England win: 49

India win: 31

Draw: 50

Who's involved?

England have named a largely unchanged squad from their series victory over New Zealand. Sam Billings, who played the final two days at Headingley as a Covid substitute, is the only new inclusion with wicketkeeper Ben Foakes tackling a back issue and a positive Covid test.

Harry Brook is once again part of the squad, though he did not feature against New Zealand, while debutant Matthew Potts may get another chance to impress with the ball.

Jamie Overton, called up for the Headingley Test, is also included, while Zak Crawley is expected to keep his place as opener, with no obvious candidate selected going into Edgbaston.

KL Rahul, whose 129 runs helped to win the second Test for India last summer, is unavailable for India with a groin injury while his opening partner, Rohit Sharma, is a doubt after testing positive for Covid-19.

^{India will be without KL Rahul, who impressed last summer [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]}

Mayank Agarwal, who averages 41.33 in 21 Test matches, has been called up as cover if Sharma cannot recover in time, while Shubman Gill is expected to replace the injured KL Rahul. Jasprit Bumrah would captain India in Sharma's absence.

Ajinkya Rahane is a notable absentee from the Indian squad, having been dropped after India’s tour of South Africa.

Hanuma Vihari, who impressed against Sri Lanka in March, and Shreyas Iyer are among those vying for selection while spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin are competing for a spot in the XI.

England: Ben Stokes (c), Alex Lees, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings (wk), Ben Foakes (wk), Jamie Overton, Craig Overton, Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, Jonny Bairstow

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Mayank Agarwal

Who are the bookies favourite?

Betting sites are unanimous in putting England as favourites to win this match, with William Hill providing the best odds at 19/20. India meanwhile are given a 21/10 chance to win the series outright, while the draw is placed at 7/2 with little chance of weather playing a part.

What’s the weather like?

The forecast throughout the Test match is largely dry, with sunny spells and temperatures of around 20 degrees Celsius. However, there is a chance of some rain falling on Saturday afternoon.

Where can I follow it?

The match will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event (channel 401) and Sky Sports Cricket (channel 404), with coverage beginning at 9:30am every day. 

Listeners in the UK can also receive ball-by-ball coverage on Test Match Special, accessible via the BBC Sport Website, app, the BBC Sounds app and BBC Radio Five Live.

In India and the subcontinent, viewers can catch the action on the Sony Network.

WillowTV have the rights for the match in Canada and USA while Fox Sports will provide coverage in Australia. In New Zealand and South Africa, the match can be viewed on SKY Sport NZ and SuperSport, respectively.