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The Indian cricket team is gearing up for a high-stakes encounter at The Oval, with the current tally of Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at 2-1 in England’s favour. A win or draw will secure the series for the hosts, while India must clinch a victory to avoid a series defeat. England will miss Ben Stokes for the final game and Ollie Pope will lead the side, while the Indian team is also grappling with injury and workload concerns. Notably, the absence of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who suffered a foot injury during the fourth Test in Manchester, and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who is reportedly being rested as part of workload management.
Ahead of the Test match set to start on July 31, fast bowler Deepak Chahar was spotted training with the Indian cricket team at The Oval Cricket Ground in London on Wednesday, July 30, sparking intrigue among fans and analysts. The 33-year-old pacer, known for his swing bowling prowess, joined the Shubman Gill-led squad for a net session, despite not being part of the official 18-member Test squad. Previously, he joined the Indian team for the practice session ahead of the Lord’s Test as well. Reportedly he was seen bowling in the nets alongside Indian players.
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England have made four changes in their playing XI for the fifth Test
This is not the first instance of India enlisting external players for practice during this tour. Ahead of the second Test at Edgbaston, Punjab Kings spinner Harpreet Brar was brought in to provide spin bowling support in the nets. Deepak Chahar’s inclusion follows a similar strategy, leveraging his experience and skill set to simulate match conditions for India’s batters, who will face a revamped England pace attack. The hosts have made four changes to their XI, with Ben Stokes sidelined by a shoulder injury and pacers Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse, along with spinner Liam Dawson, also missing the clash.
In a must-win game for the Indian team to win the series, Chahar’s swing bowling might prove to be essential in providing a crucial edge in the practice, helping the batters fine-tune their approach. Deepak Chahar, who plays for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has an illustrious white-ball career, with 13 ODIs and 25 T20Is for India, amassing 47 wickets across formats. Earlier in July, he was spotted at Wimbledon 2025 with his wife, Jaya Bhardwaj.
