India will take on England in the opening Test match of the five-match series at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad from Thursday onwards. The pitch will be in focus but the Hyderabad track is considered good for the batters.
India will miss the services of Virat Kohli as the talisman has pulled out because of personal reasons. Similarly, Harry Brook has opted out of the series due to personal reasons.
Meanwhile, India’s spin battery will once again be the cynosure of all eyes. The veterans like Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin are always lethal in favorable Indian conditions whereas Axar Patel had breathed down the neck of the English batters in 2021, picking up 27 wickets.
On the other hand, England has an inexperienced spin unit, barring Jack Leach as they will rely on the shoulders of youngsters like Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed, and Shoaib Bashir.
However, it would be interesting to note how England’s batters will bat in the upcoming series. Zak Crawley has confirmed that they will continue to bat aggressively against the Indian bowlers.
India’s head coach Rahul Dravid has confirmed that KL Rahul won’t keep wickets, which means that KS Bharat might take the gloves for the hosts.
Match Prediction: India will start as favorites against England despite the absence of Virat Kohli.
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.
