IND vs ENG, 1st Test: India will be missing the services of star batter Virat Kohli as the former captain opted out of the first two Tests due to personal reasons.
Hyderabad: India will be aiming to build on their 16 successive home series wins and make it 17 when Rohit Sharma’s men take on England in the first of five Tests at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday. The last time India lost a Test series against England at home was in 2012 when the visitors were led by now-retired Alastair Cook. Having arrived in the country just three days ahead of the first Test, England have already dealt with a lot of criticism from certain quarters for not playing practice games in an attempt to adapt to the conditions. Rather, England did a pre-series camp in Abu Dhabi.
A lot of spin is expected from both sides as the pitch is likely to assist slow bowlers. England have already announced their playing XI wit three specialist spinners including a debutant. For India, the duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will be on display. However, there will be a toss up between Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav for the third spinners’s slot.
England already have a taste of what these two can do from their past visits here, and they will be worried, particularly about Ashwin. The 37-year-old still retains the burning zest of a 17-year-old to keep improving his craft and since 2012, Ashwin has grabbed 283 wickets from 46 Tests. Meanwhile, India will be missing the services of Virat Kohli, who withdrew from the first two games owing to personal reasons.
Head-To-Head
India and England have played 131 times overall in Tests with the former wining just 31. England have won 50 games while 50 matches ended in draws. In India, a total of 64 Tests were played between both the teams with the hosts winning 22 out of them. England won 14 games in India while the rest 28 ended in draws.
When and where to watch India vs England, 1st Test?
The India vs England, 1st Test will be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The game starts on Thursday (January 25) from 9:30 PM IST.
Which television channels will live telecast the India vs England, 1st Test in India?
Sports18 has got the broadcast rights of the five-match Test series between India and England. The first match can be watched live on Sports18 channels in India.
Where to get live streaming of India vs England, 1st Test?
Live streaming of India vs England, 1st Test will be available on JioCinema on both its app and website.
Teams
India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan.
England (XI): Ben Stokes (Captain), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, Jack Leach.