Bumrah call looms as Gill sees 'very green' Oval pitch

India's playing XI is yet to be finalised as they aim for a series-leveling win in the fifth Test.

As Shubman Gill and India prepare for the deciding final Test match against England, all eyes are on star pacer Jasprit Bumrah and his availability at The Oval.

Gill remained tight-lipped on the ace pacer's availability, stating that a decision would be made on the morning of the match, set to begin on Thursday, 31 July

"We will take a decision [on Bumrah] tomorrow; the wicket looks very green. So we will see how it turns out," said Gill in the press conference on the eve of the match.

Before the series began, it was expected that Bumrah would feature in only three of the five matches to manage his workload. Now, having already played in three games, it remains to be seen whether he will take the field for a fourth time with the series on the line.

Gill's counterpart, Ben Stokes, has been ruled out of the fifth Test, with Ollie Pope set to lead England in his absence. Gill believes Stokes' absence will be a significant loss for the home side.

"A big miss for definitely England," Gill added. "I think the way, whenever he comes on to bowl or bat, he always makes things interesting, he always makes something happen.

"So from their perspective, I think it is definitely a loss for them."

England have already named their XI, opting for a pace-heavy attack featuring Chris Woakes, Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton, with spin duties likely to be shared between Jacob Bethell and Joe Root.

Gill, however, has chosen to keep his cards close to his chest regarding India's playing XI for tomorrow.

"Arshdeep Singh has been asked to get ready but we will take a call on the Playing XI after looking at the pitch by this evening," Gill said.

"England haven't gone with a frontline spinner. We have Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, who have done such a good job with the ball and the bat. On that front, it's a no-brainer for us."

All four Tests have gone down to the wire, with each match extending to Day 5. Despite the physical fatigue, Gill believes it has been a valuable learning experience for the young Indian side, and drawing the series would be a commendable achievement.

"2-2 will be very significant for this team," Gill noted. "Every match we have played, it was difficult to decide the winner after the first four days.

"The series has been a great learning curve. Some things you can learn from experience, hopefully finish on a high."

While the series scoreline will be on both teams' minds, England and India will also be eyeing important World Test Championship points as they look to build early momentum in the 2025–27 cycle, where they currently sit third and fourth on the table, respectively.