India, July 31 -- In India's practice session on match eve, captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir sat in close proximity at The Oval outfield discussing the eleven men they would pick and trust to level the series. A win would propel the arrival of Gill, the leader, and win Gambhir the critical acclaim for his Test coaching credentials. Any other result and India's English summer of 2025 would go down as a missed opportunity.

The India captain knew pace ace Jasprit Bumrah had run out of gas for a pitch that would offer the most assistance to pacers in the series. In a departure from previous three Test matches where they loaded the team with three all-rounders - Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Nitish Reddy/Shardul Tha...