Tom Hartley will make his Test debut as one of three spinners as England’s Bazballers take a huge selection gamble for the series opener in Hyderabad.
Hartley joins Jack Leach, Rehan Ahmed and Joe Root as the slow bowlers in the XI; Injury-prone Mark Wood offers the only pace option, meaning England’s record goalkeeper James Anderson is left out.
The only spinner not selected in the squad is Shoaib Bashir, who is stranded in London due to delay in obtaining his visa.
England have already confirmed that Ben Foakes will return as wicketkeeper in the absence of Harry Brook, who left the tour for personal reasons, and Jonny Bairstow will move up to No.5.
India are without talismanic batsman Virat Kohli, who withdrew from the squad for the first two Tests due to personal reasons; Rajat Patidar was called in his place.
What is the full fixture list and schedule?
All times United Kingdom
1. Test: 25–29 January, Hyderabad (4am start)
2. Test: 2–6 February, Visakhapatnam (4am start)
3. Test: 15–19 February, Rajkot (start at 4am)
4. Test: 23-27 February, Ranchi (start at 4am)
5. Test: March 7–11, Dharamsala (start at 4am)
On which channel is the India-England match?
In the UK, TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) will show the series after the agreement was agreed just nine days before the first ball was bowled. Matches can also be watched on Discovery+. Commentary will likely come from the world broadcast featuring Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan.
The live radio broadcast will be on Talksport, not BBC Test Match Special. Despite the BBC bidding for the rights, it was defeated by the commercial broadcaster.
Who is in the England squad?
England surprised their fans by announcing 20-year-old Somerset off-spinner Shoaib Bashir as one of three players in their squad.
Bashir, who has played just six matches of first-class cricket for Somerset, was likely selected for his potential based on high action and impressive performances at the England Lions training camp in the UAE.
However, Bashir was not included in the first Test as he could not fly to India due to visa delay.
The other two men in a 16-player touring party not deployed at Test level are Lancashire left-arm spinner Tom Hartley and Surrey fast bowler Gus Atkinson. Hartley and Atkinson had played white-ball cricket for the national team.
Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed is also in the team and Jack Leach, who is returning from a stress fracture in his back, has a fourth spin option. Two other spinners with international experience, Liam Dawson and Will Jacks, were left out.
There are four seam bowling options: James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood and Atkinson.
Harry Brook was unable to take part in the first part of the tour while he was in England dealing with an undisclosed personal matter.
England’s 16-man squad for India
Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow (goalkeeper), Shoaib Bashir, Harry BrookZak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood, Dan Lawrence.
Who is in the India squad?
India remain top of the table in Test cricket after drawing 1-1 in the three-match series against South Africa. The home side confirmed their 16-man squad for the first two Test matches but Virat Kohli withdrew due to undisclosed personal reasons.
India’s 16-man squad for the first two Tests
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (keeper), KS Bharat (keeper), Dhruv Jurel (keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar
What are the venues and stadiums for testing?
Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium/Uppal Stadium
Location: hyderabad
Established: 2003
Capacity: 55,000
Dr YS Rajashekar Reddy ACA – VDCA Cricket Stadium
Location: visakhapatnam
Established: 2003
Capacity: 40,000
Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium/Khandheri Cricket Stadium
Location: rajkot
Established: 2009
Capacity: 28,000
Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium
Location: ranchi
Established: 2011
Capacity: 50,000
Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium
Location: Dharamsala
Established: 2003
Capacity: 23,000
What are the latest Test results between the two teams?
India in England (2021)
August: The match was drawn
August: India won by 151 runs
August: England won by an innings and 76 runs
September: India won by 157 runs
July 2022 (match postponed due to Covid): England won by seven wickets
England in India (2021)
February: England won by 227 runs
February: India won by 317 runs
February: India won by 10 wickets
March: India won by an innings and 25 runs