As Team India prepares for the decisive fifth Test against England at The Oval, all eyes are on Shubman Gill’s team, trailing 1-2. The selection of the playing XI is under scrutiny, especially regarding Jasprit Bumrah’s availability and Arshdeep Singh’s potential debut. Experts like Michael Vaughan suggest Arshdeep should play unless the pitch heavily favours spin, potentially sidelining Kuldeep Yadav.
India and England will play the series-deciding final Test at the Kennington Oval. England leads the series 2-1. India aims to level the series. Dhruv Jurel will replace the injured Rishabh Pant. Ben Stokes is out due to injury. Ollie Pope will captain England. England has made four changes to their team.
Ben Stokes and Ravindra Jadeja have surged in the ICC Test rankings following their strong performances in the drawn England-India Test. Stokes is now third among all-rounders, while Jadeja leads with 422 points. Joe Root has extended his lead in batting, and in T20Is, Abhishek Sharma claims the top spot among batters, with several Australians also making significant gains.
A controversy involving Gautam Gambhir and Lee Fortis has surfaced before the crucial fifth Test match between India and England. The incident occurred during India’s practice session. Parthiv Patel supported Gambhir and criticised England’s behaviour. Patel also highlighted the importance of domestic leagues and praised young Indian wicketkeepers Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel.
Bharat Arun, the former bowling coach for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), is poised to join Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the same role. Sources confirm Arun’s move after his departure from KKR, where he served since 2022. LSG’s coaching staff already includes Justin Langer as head coach, Zaheer Khan as mentor, and Lance Klusener as assistant coach.
Mirabai Chanu becomes the chairperson of the Athletes’ Commission. She aims to improve weightlifting for women. The Khelo Bharat Niti and Sports Governance Bill support athletes. The Bill ensures women’s representation in sports bodies. Focus shifts to women in sports globally. India emphasizes infrastructure and sports science. The ‘Safe Sports Policy’ is crucial for athlete protection.
Indian wrestler Reetika Hooda faces a potential four-year ban after waiving her right to a ‘B’ sample test following a positive result for banned substances. The former junior world champion’s sample, collected on March 15, 2025, revealed the presence of anabolic androgenic steroids.
Olympics bronze medalist Vijender Singh is set to mentor the Indian boxing team for the upcoming World Championships in Liverpool. He will visit training camps for both men and women, offering pep talks and technical guidance.
Former England captain David Gower talks to TOI on the future of the longest format, the contrasting ways of modern batters & why he won’t change his mind on Mike Gatting’s infamous reverse sweep.
Twice in the five-match series, Dhruv Jurel was asked to don the wicketkeeping gloves — and the 24-year-old didn’t disappoint his captain. In the third Test, after coming on as a substitute keeper, he took three catches. In the fourth Test, he displayed sharp reflexes behind the stumps, effecting two stumpings and taking two catches.