Dharamsala weather update, IND vs ENG: Will rain play spoilsport in India vs England 5th Test? | Cricket News

The Dharamsala weather will undoubtedly be the point of focus as India and England clash in the fifth and final Test of the ongoing series at the picturesque HPCA Stadium from Thursday.Having made a remarkable turnaround following the defeat in Hyderabad in the opening match, India secured comprehensive wins in Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, and Ranchi to secure an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series. Rohit Sharma’s men grabbed vital points in terms of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 standings, moving to second after the conclusion of the fourth Test. India moved further up to the first spot following New Zealand’s defeat to Australia in Wellington on Sunday.
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With the points percentage (PCT) being of importance, India will aim to grab another 12 points with a win in Dharamsala before resuming their campaign later in September. However, with persent rain, snowfall, and dipping temperatures hitting the high-altitude Himachal town, India’s hopes of a positive result will depend on the skies.
According to the Indian Meteorological Deparment’s (IMD) local weather forecast, the temperatures could dip to as low as 6 degrees Celsius on the opening day of the Test match with light rain predicted for the first two days. Meanwhile, Accuweather.com suggests that afternoon thundershowers could mar the first day with an 82 percent chance of rain. It is also reported that chances of incoming of sleet could play spoilsport during the match.
While the temperature may increase slightly over days two, three and four with regular sunshine, rain could return on the potential fifth day (March 11, Monday) on a day set to be considerably cloudy.
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Earlier in January, the Indian team struggled to field during a T20I match against Afghanan in Mohali, with skipper Rohit Sharma also spotted using a hot-water bag on his palms during a drinks break while fielding.
Gavaskar sounds warning for India
Meanwhile, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has cautioned the hosts against complacency in conditions that seem more English up in Himachal Pradesh.
“With just one Test match left in the series and that too in weather conditions more English than Indian, the visitors should feel a lot at home. The ball should swing a lot more in the air, but whether it will also seam off the pitch remains to be seen,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for MidDay.
“There’s a school of thought that thinks that with the series decided, the Indians may ease up a bit, but they forget that even a dead rubber match carries points for winning and all those matter when it comes to qualifying for the World Test Championship final,” he added.
India leads the WTC points table with a 64.58 PCT after five wins in eight matches. Meanwhile, England are languishing in eighth spot after nine matches.
Squads for India vs England fifth Test
India squad for 5th Test: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Devdutt Padikkal, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep.
England Test squad for 5th Test: Ben Stokes (C), James Anderson, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Shoib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes (Wk), Dan Lawrence, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood.