England vs India 5th Test: Hosts name 13-man squad for Oval Test, Alastair Cook to bid adieu

After battering India and winning the series on Sunday, the England cricket team have announced their 13-man squad for the fifth Test which will start from 7^th September (Friday) at the Oval, London. The last Test of the five-match series is set to be the last one for the legendary opener and former England skipper Alastair Cook.

Batsman Ollie Pope and all-rounder Chris Woakes make a comeback after being left out from the team in the 4^th Test. Surprisingly, Pope will be playing for his domestic side Sussex for the first two days against Essex and will join the England squad on Thursday.

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Meanwhile, no new faces have been included in the team despite England sealing the deal with a lead of 3-1.

Another opener James Vince, who was touted to replace the then-injured Jonny Bairstow for the fourth Test has been left out from the 13-man squad for the Oval Test against India. Jonny Bairstow was injured with a broken finger but the wicketkeeper-batsman was later declared fit to be a part of the playing XI as a specialist batsman leaving Vince on the bench.

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Former captain Alastair Cook will hang his boots after the Oval Test and this could be an emotional outing for the 33-year-old opener. Cook has the record for the most Test runs, Test appearances and centuries for England in the red-ball-cricket and will go out as one of the greatest players to have represented England in the gentlemen’s game.

England Squad for the 5^th Test:

Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (wk), Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes