NEW DELHI: Facing a pivotal moment in his Test career, England batsman
Jonny Bairstow
finds himself in a battle to retain his position as the fifth and final match against India looms in Dharamsala on Thursday.
Bairstow is set to earn his 100th Test cap as England, already trailing 3-1 in the series, endeavors to salvage some dignity in the challenging conditions of the high-altitude and cold Himalayan hill town.
Meanwhile, Indian spinner
Ravichandran Ashwin
is poised to mark his 100th Test appearance, a milestone he reaches after surpassing 500 Test wickets during the ongoing series.
Bairstow, now primarily included in the team as a specialist batsman following Ben Foakes' takeover of wicketkeeping duties, has struggled to make an impact, tallying just 170 runs at an average of 21.25 in the series.
The 34-year-old's woes trace back to his return to the side last year following a leg injury sustained in a bizarre golfing mishap. Despite featuring in 10 Tests since his recovery, Bairstow has yet to notch a century and boasts a highest score of only 38 in eight innings in India.
"It's a great triumph of resilience and even in terms of sentiment I believe that if you get to 99 caps you deserve the moment of your 100th," former England captain Michael Vaughan wrote in his column for the UK's Telegraph newspaper.
"However, you can't escape that he could miss out on his 101st.
"He hasn't played well enough across the 10 Tests he's been back in the side, especially in India."
Bairstow is renowned as an attacking batsman and at number five in the order is crucial to England's aggressive "Bazball" style of cricket.
Bairstow showed glimpses of a return to form in the fourth Test but could not convert good starts, where he reached 38 and 30 in each innings respectively, into substantial scores.
Former captain Joe Root also struggled in the first three Tests, but struck form as he knuckled down to score a sublime century in the fourth on a testing wicket.
Veteran seamer James Anderson, 41, is just two wickets away from 700 and becoming the third bowler, after Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and late Australian spin legend Shane Warne (708), to achieve the milestone.
England could make changes to their side, with fast bowler Ollie Robinson's place in jeopardy after going wicketless in Ranchi.
The weather in Dharamsala could play a huge part in the match. The picturesque ground is surrounded by snow-capped peaks at an altitude of 1,317 metres (4,320 feet).
There is a risk of sleet and forecasts say temperatures could plunge as low as 1C (33.8 Fahrenheit) on Thursday.
India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will return after being rested but the focus will be on Ashwin, 37, who made his debut in 2011.
Ashwin has 507 Test victims, second only to Anil Kumble's 619 wickets on India's all-time list.
"Reading batters has always been a key part of what Ash does," India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara told the Cricinfo website.
"He is always one step ahead, alert to the smallest cues."
India won in Ranchi by five wickets and have not lost a home series since 2012, when Alastair Cook's England won 2-1.
India have unearthed new talent in the series, such as Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan, in the absence of Virat Kohli and the injured KL Rahul.
Batsman Devdutt Padikkal is in line for his debut in place of Rajat Patidar, who has managed just 63 runs in six innings in his maiden series.
Left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal leads the series batting with 655 runs, including two double centuries.
England spinner Tom Hartley is the leading wicket-taker with 20. Bumrah,
Ravindra Jadeja
and Ashwin all have 17 wickets.
(With inputs from AFP)
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