India will face ‘Bazballers’ England in the opening Test match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad from Thursday. With Virat Kohli opting out of the first two matches due to personal reasons, the onus will be on experienced Rohit Sharma to deliver the goods.

We look at the current form, head-to-head, players to look out for, and squads of both teams in our match preview.

Current form for India: W L D W L

India has always been a force to reckon with while playing in their own conditions and the spinners have played a key role in their home dominance. The likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav will hold the key.

Current form for England: W W D W L

England has revolutionized Test cricket with their aggressive batting approach. The visitors are expected to once again take the attack to the opposition but it will be a difficult spin test for Ben Stokes’ men. Joe Root will hold the key in the middle order for the tourists.

Head to Head: Matches: 131, Won by England: 50, Won by India: 31, Drawn: 50.

Players to look out for: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Jasprit Bumrah will be the crucial players for India.

Ben Stokes, James Anderson, Joe Root, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow and Jack Leach will be the important players for England.

India Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan.

England squad: Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood.