Paine concerned about Gambhir’s inability to stay calm under pressure
“Their last two series wins out here they had Ravi Shastri who was fantastic,” Paine said.
Australia captain Tim Paine on Thursday won the toss and elected to bowl in the fifth and final Ashes Test against England at the Kia Oval in London.
Australia have made two changes in their Playing XI — Mitchell Marsh replaces Travis Head and Peter Siddle comes in place of Mitchell Starc.
England had already announced their Playing XI on Wednesday as they brought in Sam Curran and Chris Woakes for Jason Roy and Craig Overton.
Advertisement
Australia currently lead the five-match series 2-1 and have already retained the Ashes Urn.
“We are gonna have a bowl first. Little bit of overcast clouds. If it would have been sunny, we would have batted first. There seems to be thick grass on top but it seems it would be dry underneath. Would be an interesting wicket if we can make some inroads…We have a couple of changes. Mitch Marsh comes in for Travis Head. Siddle comes in for Starc,” said Paine after winning the toss.
England skipper Joe Root said: “Thankfully, I didn’t have to make that choice(on toss). We would have looked to bat first. Looks a pretty good wicket. There seems to be a good grass covering but it should be dry underneath. As always it is an important first session. Got to make sure, we start well and drive the game forward. Still a Test match, we can’t win the Ashes back but we can’t lose the series. We want to make sure we finish the week 2-2. There are Championship points to be had. We have been blessed with wonderful support throughout the summer. All the players have thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated it. Sam Curran and Chris Woakes come in. Jason Roy and Craig Overton are out.”
Here are the Playing XIs of both the teams:
Australia: Marcus Harris, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine(wicketkeeper/ captain), Pat Cummins, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
England: Rory Burns, Joe Denly, Joe Root (captain), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad
Advertisement
