India will go into the final Test at The Oval knowing that the series is still wide open. However, there is a lot to ponder over their playing eleven combination amidst loud calls for the inclusion of chinaman Kuldeep Yadav. But according to former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, the Indian team management is leaning toward retaining all-rounder Shardul Thakur despite mounting pressure to bring in the left-arm leg spinner. In a detailed discussion during the broadcast of the game, Manjrekar highlighted how injuries, fatigue, and the balance of the playing XI are weighing heavily on India's selection call.

"To rest the next game, get a seamer out, and get Kuldeep Yadav in, which would be the likely change," Manjrekar said on-air. "But I'm also hearing that maybe the Indian team management, the people who know Gautam Gambhir as coach and what he likes, they're quite confident that Shardul Thakur will get another game."

Manjrekar also pointed out the unavailability of Rishabh Pant and Nitish Reddy as significant concerns. "Rishabh Pant not being available, that's one of your key batters," he said.

"To be fair to Reddy, he bowled well as well. Impacted the game with the ball and didn't leak runs. So now that he's gone, you don't have the resources," he added while speaking on Jiostar.

He questioned whether India now had enough faith in its batting lineup to play Kuldeep. "Can we now play Kuldeep Yadav? And there's still a question on what the most effective seam attack is."

"So what is that thought? India needs 20 wickets to win the final test match. So they've got to look at their bowling attack with Jasprit Bumrah unlikely to play. Now that's a bowling attack that needs Kuldeep Yadav.

Highlighting Siraj's fatigue, he added, "You've seen Siraj play all four tests and look tired. It's a fascinating discussion... India needs 20 wickets to win the final test match. So they've got to look at their bowling attack with Jasprit Bumrah unlikely to play."

Manjrekar proposed a spin-heavy strategy: "Look at Jadeja as the batting all-rounder. His bowling will be a bonus. Washi is the off-spinner. Kuldeep Yadav as the wicket-taker."

"You might be worried about your batting. But sometimes it can go with less batting depth and more bowling depth," Manjrekar concluded, leaving the selection puzzle open-ended with the final Test delicately poised.