India head coach Gautam Gambhir dismissed transition talk after the Old Trafford Test draw, praising the team’s resilience and Rishabh Pant’s courage to bat with a broken foot. He also backed allowing substitutes for serious injuries and gave an update on Bumrah’s availability.
Ben Stokes praised India’s fightback in the Old Trafford Test, ruled out injury replacement rules for Test cricket, and confirmed he feels physically better despite a heavy workload ahead of the final game.
Bowling coach Morne Morkel said India is working to include Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI but maintaining batting depth is crucial against England. He discussed selection dilemmas, bowling workloads, and captain Shubman Gill’s strategy after the third day of the fourth Test.
England vice-captain Ollie Pope said Ben Stokes, who retired hurt with cramps during the fourth Test against India, will recover and be ready to contribute with both bat and ball on Saturday.
Zak Crawley says he “loved” the time-wasting row at Lord’s and reflects on England’s strong start at Old Trafford, his improved mindset, and the growing bond with fellow opener Ben Duckett.
Put in to bat in overcast conditions, Indian openers KL Rahul (46 off 98 balls) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 off 107) put on 94 runs for their highest stand of the series before Sudharsan (61 off 151) produced a dogged knock under pressure to justify his selection over Karun Nair
