How India might line-up for the final Test against England

After losing to the hosts at the Ageas Bowl in the Fourth Test by 60 runs, Team India has conceded the series to England. Facing an unassailable lead of 3-1 going into the final Test, the Indian team play the English hosts in a dead rubber match at The Oval.

But that does not mean that the final Test will be a dull affair by any stretch of the imagination. Pride is still at stake for this Indian team and a 3-2 series loss will sting much less than a 4-1 thrashing.

This match will also be very important for some of the players who have spent most of the tour sitting on the sidelines. They are finally expected to be played in this match as a reward for their patience and will be eager to show their value to the team management.

With all that in mind, let us take a look at India's predicted XI for the fifth and final test at the Kia Oval in London.

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Openers: Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw

The openers have let India down throughout the tour.

Opening has been a huge weakness for Team India on this tour. None of the openers have been able to make a significant contribution to the team in any of the past four Tests. As a result, the team management is expected to make some changes in this position in the final match.

This change will come in the form of 18-year-old prodigy Prithvi Shaw replacing the struggling KL Rahul. While both Dhawan and Rahul have been flops on the tour so far, Dhawan has at least shown some signs of life in the last two matches. Rahul's form on the other hand has gone from bad to worse.

While Dhawan's slip catching is very suspect, the team cannot keep picking Rahul based on just that aspect of his game anymore. Shaw and Dhawan will also provide the team with a left-right combination at the top.

Middle-order: Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane

The Indian middle-order will remain unchanged.

It is hard to blame the Indian middle-order for the team's failure to put up big totals throughout the series. On the contrary, it is hard to imagine how this series would have panned out if the trio had not stepped up to the plate and carried the team out of precarious situations on multiple occasions.

It would not be smart to tweak with the combination at this stage if India really wants to come out of the series on a positive note. Kohli, Pujara and Rahane are the only three batsmen who can be relied upon to score in English conditions.

Although many might ask for Hanuma Vihari to be given a chance, this series might not be the best time to introduce the youngster to the international stage. Vihari is yet to make his debut for the Indian team in any format and expecting him to deliver in these tough conditions is not the best idea.

All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja

Jadeja is yet to feature in this series.

Ravindra Jadeja is the #3 ranked bowler and all-rounder in Test cricket. But that has not stopped the Indian team management from not picking him throughout the series. But now with the series already lost, Jadeja surely deserves a chance to showcase his talents even if it is in a dead rubber match.

After there were rumblings of Ashwin being injured before the Fourth Test, Jadeja must have surely gotten his hopes up. But Ashwin did manage to recover in time and featured prominently in Southampton. Still, Jadeja would not be a terrible back up if the team does decide to rest Ashwin for the final Test.

Hardik Pandya, on the other hand, has firmly solidified his position in India's Test team. He has shown his value with both bat and ball throughout the course of the series and is surely one of the first names on the team-list these days. Picking him for the final match should be a no-brainer.

Wicket-keeper: Rishabh Pant

Pant has been a part of the team in the last two Tests.

It is hard to judge Pant based on just two Tests. The 20-year-old's talent is clear for all to see. But the question is, does the youngster have the temperament to become a permanent fixture in the Test team?

He did have a pretty solid performance in his debut Test at Trent Bridge. He had an impressive cameo of 24 and picked up 5 catches on top of that. He also became the first Indian batsman to get off the mark with a six in Test cricket.

But then he followed it up with a confusing performance in Southampton. He scored a 29-ball duck in the first innings and then followed it up with a blistering 18 when the team required somebody to hold the innings together.

Clearly, he is yet to figure out how to construct an innings in Test Cricket, but that does not mean that he should be dropped immediately. He has already shown flashes of brilliance in his short career and deserves another chance in the final Test at the Oval.

Bowlers: Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah

Team India should not tinker with its pace attack.

Every cloud has a silver lining and for the Indian team, the pace attack has served as their 'silver lining' throughout the series. It has been impressive to see the growth in all three bowlers throughout the series.

Ishant has always had the reputation of someone with a lot of promise who can't deliver when it matters. In this series, though he has looked like the fiery pace bowler that he has always been expected to become. With 15 wickets under his belt, he is irreplaceable at this moment.

Bumrah is considered a specialist bowler in the shorter format of the game. But his transition to Test cricket has been impressive. He has put his deep bag of tricks to good use and has consistently picked up important wickets.

Shami was having an inconsistent series before catching fire in the Fourth Test. He ended up picking four wickets in England's second innings and could have proved to be the man of the match if India had managed to chase down the target set by the hosts.

The team management should at no cost tinker with the pace attack at this point in time. After years of searching, they might have finally stumbled upon India's best bowling line-up for the longest format of the game. All three bowlers deserve to retain their place in the team for the fifth and final Test.