In the much-anticipated first Test of the 5-match series against England in Hyderabad on Thursday, January 25, India fielded a team comprising 5 bowlers and 6 batters, which included the specialist wicketkeeper in their XI. England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bat, aiming to seize the early advantage.
Ben Stokes wasted no time at the coin toss, promptly announcing England’s decision to bat on a pitch expected to offer turn as the match progresses. India captain Rohit Sharma stated that his team would have made the same decision.
India opted for left-arm spinner Axar Patel as their third spinner, alongside R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Rohit Sharma acknowledged the difficulty of the decision to omit wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav from the playing XI.
“Had a few days to prepare, played in these conditions before, know what to expect. Axar is the third spinner. Tough on Kuldeep, spoke a lot about it, but Axar has done well whenever he’s played, gives us batting depth,” Rohit Sharma remarked at the toss.
Virat Kohli’s absence appears to have prompted India to bolster their batting lineup. The former captain opted out of the first two Tests of the 5-match series due to personal reasons.
Both teams have opted for three spinners, with England selecting two inexperienced spinners alongside Jack Leach. Rehan Ahmed and debutant Tom Hartley fill the spin slots for England.
Meanwhile, India included KS Bharat as the specialist wicketkeeper, while also featuring Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul in the playing XI for the opening Test in Hyderabad.
Playing 11 of the teams
England’s playing 11- Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Tom Hartley (On Test debut), Jonny Bairstow, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes (WK), Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, Ben Stokes (C), Joe Root, and Mark Wood.
India’s playing 11- Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Siraj, KS Bharat (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill, and Ravichandran Ashwin.
