Hyderabad will host the India vs England, 1st Test of five, in the latter's tour of the country. The Men in Blue are hosting the Three Lions for a series of this format after three years, with their previous clash in India resulting in a 3-1 victory for the host nation back in early 2021. Much has changed since then, not least England's hotly-debated approach to Test cricket, labelled 'Bazball' for its association with the England Test head coach - and former New Zealand batter - Brendon McCullum. (More Cricket News)
India will be without Virat Kohli for the first and the second Tests after the batter withdrew due to undisclosed, personal reasons. Sans Kohli, India are expected to draft the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Shreyas Iyer into their top and middle order, hoping that the trio can replicate the impact the talismanic Kohli has now exerted over the team for years.
At the time of writing, this will also be India's last international series pre-ICC T20 Cricket World Cup 2024. Upon its conclusion in early March, both sets of players will disembark toward their respective camps to partake in the latest edition of the Indian Premier League, which is expected to start in late March and go on until the end of May.
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India Vs England, 1st Test, Weather Report
The venue for India vs England, 1st Test, Hyderabad, is currently in the midst of a spell of warm, sunny days with temperatures soaring close to the 30 degrees Celsius mark and little to no chance of rain. Thursday, January 25, when the two teams enter the pitch, they are likely to be greeted by a pleasant atmosphere, fit for hosting five relentless days of excellent cricket.
India Vs England, 1st Test, Pitch Report
Perhaps going against the tide of expectations, the pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium is likely to favour fast bowlers, rather than spinners. Moreover, it is a batting-friendly surface, ripe for big scores. Case in point: the last time the arena hosted a Test match was in 2018 between India and West Indies, with both teams lodging 300+ scorers in their respective first innings; Umesh Yadav was adjudged the player of the match, taking six wickets in the first innings and four in the second.
The first session of the day will begin at 9:30 AM IST.
India Vs England, 1st Test, Probable XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah
England: Zack Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jooy Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Rehan Ahmed, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Mark Woord, Jack Leach
