Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
India is ready to welcome England for a five-match Test series, kicking off on January 25 at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The series, starting this Thursday, is set to wrap up on March 7, 2024.
Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Ben Foakes, Ollie Robinson, Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, James Anderson
The pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium has been favourable for batsmen, offering more support to pacers than spinners. In the previous Test held at this venue, India secured victory over the West Indies in just three days, courtesy of a stellar performance by pacer Umesh Yadav. The captain winning the toss may opt to bat first and set an early total on the scoreboard.
Clear weather is expected for the entire duration of the first Test, with temperatures hovering around 26 degrees Celsius in the morning and reaching 30 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. There is no chance of rain during these five scheduled days.
India and England have faced each other in 35 Test matches, with England claiming victory in 19 encounters. India, with a total of 11 wins against England, holds a better record in home conditions, particularly against the current Ben Stokes-led side. In 16 games played at home, India has secured eight wins against England, while the English team has five victories, and three matches concluded in a draw.
Considering the historical performance of both teams on Indian soil, the home team is poised to take control of the upcoming match and emerge victorious. Despite the absence of their key batsman Virat Kohli, the Indian team aims to capitalise on the favourable home conditions. However, unpredictable England team can also trouble the Indian side with its aggressive batting attack.
You can watch the 1st test match between India and England live on Sports18, JioCinema App and its website. The match will start at 9:30 am IST.