IND vs ENG 2021: Best India-England combined playing XI from the Test series

The fifth Test between India and England, scheduled to start today in Manchester, has been indefinitely postponed after the visiting team informed the ECB that they are apprehensive about taking part in the match due to members of their support staff testing positive for COVID-19.

The BCCI and the ECB are searching for ways to reschedule the Test, with reports suggesting that we could see a conclusion to the series only next summer, when India tour England for a white-ball assignment.

This seems like a good time to reflect on what was a highly entertaining and competitive series. Here is the combined India-England playing XI from the Test series. Incredibly, only four home players make this list.

Note: With the second phase of the 2021 Indian Premier League expected to resume on September 19, the rescheduled fifth Test is unlikely to be played in the near future. If it does, this article will be modified accordingly.

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Openers: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul

England v India - Fourth LV= Insurance Test Match: Day Five

An all-Indian opening pair kicks off this playing XI, with none of Rory Burns, Dom Sibley and Haseeb Hameed coming up with consistent performances for England. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul made 421 runs together at an average of 52.62, the second-highest for any Indian opening combination in England since 1979.

Individually, Rohit scored 368 runs at an average of 52.57 to finish as the second-highest run-getter, while Rahul was one place below him with 315 runs at an average of 39.37.

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Middle Order: Cheteshwar Pujara, Joe Root, Virat Kohli (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk)

England v India - Fourth LV= Insurance Test Match: Day Five

The India-England Test series didn't start well for Cheteshwar Pujara, whose place in the team was under serious question by the time the third Test rolled around. But India's No. 3 fell back on his reserves of resolve to make two fifties and take his series run tally to 227 at an average of 32.42.

The series' leading run-getter by almost 200 runs, Joe Root makes the combined playing XI at his preferred No. 4 position. He amassed 564 runs at an average of 94, with hundreds in each of the first three Tests and a fifty to boot. Although he led the England batting lineup from the front, he is not the captain of this combined XI.

India captain Virat Kohli didn't reach the elusive three-figure score against India, but he overcame some early jitters to notch up two fifties and a few other middling scores on the tour. He averaged only 31.14, a far cry from his exploits in 2018, but he still looked head and shoulders above every other middle-order batsman not named Joe Root.

None of the three wicket-keepers who played in the India-England series - Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow and Rishabh Pant - did their ability any justice. Despite Pant scoring a sensible fifty in the fourth Test, Bairstow, who tallied 184 runs at an average of 26.28, gets the nod.

Bairstow looked a touch nervy behind the stumps, in stark contrast to Pant. But the Englishman received a few beautiful balls to be dismissed and was his team's second-highest run-getter, whereas his Indian counterpart orchestrated his own downfall with some careless shot-making.

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All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur

India Nets Session

Neither team relied on their spinners in the series. Ravindra Jadeja makes this combined XI by virtue of having played all four games and coming up with some valuable contributions in both departments. He scored 160 runs and picked up six wickets.

Joining Jadeja is a man who played only two Tests but still finds a place in the combined XI - Shardul Thakur. Although others like Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj picked up wickets in double digits, India's pace-bowling all-rounder made an impact like no other.

Tallying two fifties and and scalping seven crucial wickets, Thakur was the difference between victory and defeat in the fourth Test and a key contributor in the series opener.

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Bowlers: Ollie Robinson, Jasprit Bumrah, James Anderson

England Nets Session

Picking the bowling attack of this combined India-England XI is a straightforward task. Jimmy Anderson (15 wickets at 24.66), Jasprit Bumrah (18 wickets at 20.83) and Ollie Robinson (21 wickets at 21.33) were the three highest wicket-takers in the series.

All three pacers moved the ball both ways and constantly asked questions of the batsmen. More impressively, they maintained a high level of fitness, playing all four games. Siraj and Shami stood a real chance of making this combined XI, but they narrowly missed out.