IND vs ENG: 3 key player battles to watch out for 5th Test in Dharamsala

The England tour of India is in its final lap and the last Test will be played at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. After the 2017 game between India and Australia, this will only be the second-ever red-ball international being hosted at the picturesque venue.

Despite the 3-1 series scoreline against England, the matches have been fought closely and The Ben Stokes' men have had their moments, but the Rohit Sharma's team in home conditions seems to be just too good. In fact, the hosts were better prepared for the Bazball tactics of the touring team.  However, given the conditions in Dharamsala, the visitors may see this as an opportunity to close the gap in conditions more familiar to them.

Here are the 3 key player battles for the 5th Test in Dharamsala: 

3. Jasprit Bumrah vs Joe Root

After being rested for the Ranchi game, ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah should be back for the final Test and will have the opportunity to once again make a mark in conditions that should favour the seamers. The speedster is also in sublime form at the moment, having picked seventeen wickets already.

Bumrah has also dismissed Joe Root on nine occasions in Tests, and has troubled him a lot in this ongoing series as well. Root, on the other hand, smacked a century in the first innings in Ranchi and finally looked to find his groove. This battle could define the context of the match.

2. James Anderson vs Rohit Sharma

Dharamsala could offer James Anderson conditions that will be very close to home. He could finally get the ball to move around in the air, and this could pose a challenge to the Indian top order. The 41-year-old will also have conditions favouring his style of bowling, which could cause troubles to the Indian skipper as well as other batters.

Rohit Sharma has had a decent series thus far, and he needs to step up and lead the charge against the new ball. The Nagpur-born showed great technique against the new ball in England back in 2021 and India would need their captain to continue his good form.

1. Ravichandran Ashwin vs Ben Duckett

Ben Duckett has been one of the standout performers for England this series. He has raced off the blocks against the seamers, and for the first time, he took on R Ashwin with the new ball in the last match. And he was dismissed in a similar vein, he propped forward, offered a meek bat and was caught at bat pad — the sort of dismissal that has troubled him in the past. 

Overall, Ashwin has claimed Duckett six times in Test cricket, and Rohit could toss the ball to the off-spinner to get the job done in his 100th Test match.