New Delhi, India

India and England will square off with each other for the fifth and final Test at Old Trafford, Manchester on Friday (September 10). After a Covid case emerged out in the Indian camp on Thursday, the fate of the final Test remained a mystery before all the Indian players tested negative in subsequent PCR results. Thus, the series decider is now set to get underway at the picturesque Old Trafford, in Manchester. 

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With India being ahead, 2-1, Virat Kohli & Co. will go into the series finale with an edge over England. India will aim for a series triumph, which will be their first on English soil after 2007. Given that India have defeated Australia in their own backyard twice since 2018, a series win in England will further boost their confidence and consolidate their dominant position in Tests in recent times.

STATS

India have plenty to play for in the fifth Test. So far, both India and England have met each other on nine occasions at Old Trafford, Manchester in the purest format. To India's dismay, they are yet to win a Test at the venue as they trail England 0-4 (with 5 ending in a draw).

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PITCH CONDITIONS

The pitch is expected to assist the pacers. With not a lot of sunshine over the weekend, the surface won't be conducive to spinners, as was the case in the fourth and penultimate Test at The Oval, London. Hence, India might be tempted to go ahead with the same combination, i.e. 4 pacers and a sole spinner. R Ashwin's inclusion, thus, seems unlikely. 

WEATHER REPORT

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The weather wasn't great in the run-up to the final Test. However, the sun was out and shining bright on Wednesday (September 8). According to AccuWeather, a morning shower is expected on the opening day, which will be followed by period of sunshine before another shower in the afternoon. Nonetheless, the cricket fans will get to see some action as it isn't likely to cause lengthy periods of delay.

The weather for Saturday (Day 2) isn't very encouraging at the moment. It is forecast to be cloudy with spells of shower. Day 3 and 4, i.e. often regarded as the moving days in a Test match, are expected to offer good cricketing conditions but the final day might have couple of showers throughout the day, which was also witnessed during the series opener.

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PREDICTED XI: 

India's likely XI: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah

England's likely XI: Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, James Anderson