Unsure of pitch, England seek consolation win

England, chasing a consolation victory in the five-match Test series against India, will be banking on two pacers and two spinners to do the trick in the final game in Dharamsala on Thursday.

England announced their lone change for the game, with seamer Ollie Robinson making way for fast bowler Mark Wood. Robinson remained wicketless in the fourth Test in Ranchi, where India grabbed an unassailable 3-1 lead.

Wood joins James Anderson in England's seam attack, while Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir will shoulder the spin load with Joe Root chipping in with his part-time off-spin.

"I think going with two seamers and two spinners is probably the right call," England captain Ben Stokes told reporters on the eve of the match.

"Playing two seamers and still having Bash and Tom gives us a good mixture when you're a little bit unsure of what it [the pitch] will do as the Test goes on."

Stokes expected batters to dominate the contest and would particularly want his good friend Jonny Bairstow to shrug off his poor form in what would be the batter's 100th Test.

"If I was a captain here in a one-day game I wouldn't want to win the toss because I wouldn't know what to do looking at how good the wicket looks," Stokes said in his assessment of the pitch.

Having secured their 17th consecutive Test series win at home, India can afford to relax in Dharamsala but Ravichandran Ashwin will be keen to make his 100th Test a special occasion.

"It's a big achievement for any player to play 100 Tests," India captain Rohit Sharma heaped praise on the off-spinner, who claimed his 500th Test wicket in the ongoing series.