India v England: What is the weather forecast for fifth Test in Dharamsala?

The five-Test series between India and England has already been decided, with the hosts taking an unassailable 3-1 lead after a titanic battle in the fourth Test in Ranchi.

However, that does not mean there is nothing to fight for in the final match of the series that begins in Dharamsala, at the foot of the Himalayas, from Thursday.

Firstly, a 3-2 series result would look vastly different from 4-1. English – and many Indian – fans believe a 3-2 verdict would be fair final result in a series that has seen some incredible performances from both sides, with youngsters in particular rising to the occasion in the absence of senior players and poor form from the more established names.

Also, both sides need to plan for the long term and test which players can be part of the journey going forward.

For England, the form of Jonny Bairstow is particularly concerning, with the middle-order batsman scoring a measly 170 runs in eight outings. That is only a little better than spinner Tom Hartley has managed. Also, Ollie Pope's bat has gone silent after a stellar 196 in the first Test, returning a pair in Ranchi.

The Indians, meanwhile, will be considering the long-term future of Rajat Patidar, who has looked like a walking wicket the entire series and should consider himself lucky if he gets another chance. But given the continued unavailability of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, the Indian team have limited options in the middle order and might not want to hand out another Test debut in the series.

And if players found the challenges in the first four Tests too much to handle, things are going to get extremely difficult in the finale.

Luckily, some other channels are predicting slightly warmer temperatures. Slightly!