England v India 2018: Possible changes for India in the final Test 

After a long wait of four years, the Indian sidestepped on English soil with a glimmer of hope in their eyes. The limited overs journey began in convincing fashion as KL Rahul registered his second T20 hundred to guide the visitors to victory. After a toiling month and a half, the tour is about to come to an end with the final Test scheduled to be played at The Kennington Oval.

The Test series was closely fought but England delivered at crucial stages which ensured their victory in this 5-match-series. In the final Test, the Indian team will take the field to fight for respect whereas a confident looking English side would look to continue on their glorious path. With nothing to lose in this final game, the visitors can look for a few changes in the playing XI.

Let's have a look at some of the players who might get an opportunity in the final Test.

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Hanuma Vihari

Vihari was added to the squad for the last two Tests

Andhra batsman Hanuma Vihari was included in India's squad for the final two Tests. Owing to his performances in domestic cricket, Vihari earned a maiden call-up. His performance in domestic cricket has been phenomenal in the past few years. The 24-year-old was a part of India's U19 winning team in 2012.

Vihari has featured in 63 first class games in which he has smashed 5142 runs at an average of 59.79. Apart from this, he can also roll his arm over to bowl some off-spin. In his previous first-class game, he scored 148 against South Africa A at Alur. The all-rounder was also a part of the India A squad that toured England earlier in August.

With nothing to lose, the team management can try out Vihari in the fifth Test. He can bat in the middle order and can work as the fifth bowler of the team.

Prithvi Shaw

Next Sachin or first Shaw?

Prithvi Shaw's journey of being a household name started earlier in February this year when he led the Indian side to glory in the U19 World Cup. His batting caught everyone's eye and the comparisons with Sachin Tendulkar started right away. He further made a name for himself in the Indian Premier League(IPL) when he represented the Delhi Daredevils.

He scored a hundred on his Ranji Trophy debut and has been unstoppable since then in domestic cricket. Prithvi's exploits have helped Mumbai and India A massively in the past few months. His sensational form earned him a maiden call-up to this Indian Test team, with both openers struggling to find form Prithvi has the perfect shot at making his debut.

Shaw is likely to replace Rahul in the final Test. Rahul has scored runs at an average of 13 in this series. The Mumbai teenage sensation recently scored a lot of runs in England, while playing for India A, he opened the batting and attacked from the word go. He along with Mayank Agarwal played attacking cricket at the beginning of the innings.

Dinesh Karthik

Stumps out of the way!

Dinesh Karthik made a comeback to this team in place of the injured Wriddhiman Saha. Karthik played the first two Tests of the series but was ruled out of the third Test due to an injury. Rishabh Pant replaced DK but the Delhi lad managed to score only 43 runs in 4 innings and his keeping wasn't convincing either.

Pant will improve as time progresses but Karthik should get an opportunity in this last Test. India's next overseas Test series is down under and the men in blue need to find a wicketkeeper before they travel to Australia. The Kolkata Knight Riders skipper is India's best bet in the Australian conditions.

Karthik is likely to replace Pant in the line-up.

Karun Nair

303*

Karun Nair is best known for his 303* against England. His triple century at Chennai came at an early stage in his Test career, the miraculous innings was played back in 2016 and Nair has featured in only four Test matches since then. He has scored 227 runs in his last 6 innings in England, he was playing for India A before he was selected for this series.

The Karnataka batsman has been in wonderful form in domestic cricket, he has scored 4496 first-class runs with a staggering average of 51.09. Nair can bat in the middle order, his aggressive approach also gives him a helping hand to bat with the tail albeit it will be tough for him to find a spot in the XI for the final Test.

Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja is one of the best Indian all-rounders in the current scenario. Jadeja has been a valuable asset for the Indian side since his debut but he has been struggling to make the cut off late. With Ashwin's increasing variations and decent batting ability, Jadeja has often found himself out the playing XI.

Jadeja has scalped 171 wickets in 69 innings. Apart from his bowling wonders, he has also scored 1196 runs at an average of nearly 30 and his fielding is an added advantage for every side. Despite this, the Saurashtra all-rounder has been underused in the last few months. He should be tried in this final test.

In the 4th Test, Ashwin looked off-colour with the ball. England's off-spinner Moeen Ali picked up 9 wickets in the game whereas Ashwin only picked two. Jadeja might get a chance instead of Ravi Ashwin.