England v India, 5th Test: India's probable playing XI

Cheteshwar Pujara

Pujara was in terrific form in the fourth test

The middle-order for the first time in the series looks settled with the likes of Pujara, Kohli and Rahane.

Pujara has been in terrific form in the last two Tests. At Trent Bridge, he scored 72 in the second innings and was involved in a 100 plus partnership with Kohli to ascertain a win for India. He continued his dominant display with the bat in the fourth Test where he scored an unbeaten 132 runs which earned India a considerable lead of 24 runs in the first innings.

Virat Kohli

Kohli has been in ominous form

The Indian skipper has been in ominous form in this series and has already amassed in excess of 500 runs in this series. He looked in deft touch even on a difficult fourth-day pitch in the last Test. India was always in the game until the time Kohli was around.

The No.1 test batsman is an important cog in the Indian batting line-up and he needs to score big if India wants to win the final Test.

Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane needs to score a big hundred

The Indian vice-captain has been involved in a couple of century partnerships with Kohli. At Trent Bridge, his partnership of 159 runs resulted in a mammoth lead for the Indians in the first innings. At Southampton, while chasing a target of 245 runs on a difficult fourth-day pitch, Rahane was involved in a partnership of 101 runs with the Indian captain. This deflated the English attack and it looked as if India were on course of a famous win.

Rahane has a couple of centuries against his name in this series. India would want him to convert his fifties into big hundreds for India to stand any chance in the fifth Test.