England secured the toss and elected to bat against India in the fifth and final Test on Thursday.
Notable milestones embellish the occasion as Indian off-spin maestro R Ashwin gears up for his 100th Test appearance, alongside England's seasoned batter Jonny Bairstow.
Adding to the intrigue, Karnataka's prodigious talent, Devdutt Padikkal, earns his Test debut, stepping into the fray with commendable credentials from the recently concluded 2023-24 domestic season.
Padikkal replaces the injured Rajat Patidar, who suffered a blow to his left ankle during a training session on Wednesday, as confirmed by the BCCI.
The absence of Patidar paves the way for Padikkal's inclusion, injecting fresh energy into India's lineup.
Additionally, the return of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah to the Indian eleven, after a well-deserved rest during the fourth Test in Ranchi, bolsters the team's resolve.
Bumrah replaces Akash Deep in the lineup.
India, having already clinched an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series, aims to maintain their dominance in the final showdown.
The squad compositions for both teams stand as follows:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Devdutt Padikkal, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Siraj.
England: Ben Stokes (Captain), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes (Wk), Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson, Shoaib Bashir.
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