Yahoo Sports England vs India, Test series and tour: Full schedule and fixtures
Tom Hartley will make his Test debut as one of three spinners, as England’s Bazballers take a major selection gamble for their series opener in Hyderabad.
Hartley joins Jack Leach, Rehan Ahmed and Joe Root as the slow bowlers in the XI – injury-prone Mark Wood provides the only pace option, meaning England’s record wicket-taker James Anderson is left out.
The only spinner in the squad who has not been selected is Shoaib Bashir, who is stuck in London after a delay in receiving his visa.
England had already confirmed that Ben Foakes will return as wicketkeeper with Jonny Bairstow moving up to No 5 in the absence of Harry Brook, who is out after leaving the tour for personal reasons.
India are without talismanic batsman Virat Kohli who has pulled out of the squad for the first two Tests for personal reasons – Rajat Patidar has been called up as his replacement.
What is the full fixture list and schedule?
All times UK
1st Test: January 25–29, Hyderabad (4am start)
2nd Test: February 2–6, Visakhapatnam (4am start)
3rd Test: February 15–19, Rajkot (4am start)
4th Test: February 23-27, Ranchi (4am start)
5th Test: March 7–11, Dharamsala (4am start)
What TV channel is India vs England on?
In the UK, TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) will show the series after reaching an agreement just nine days before the first ball is bowled. The matches are also available to view on discovery+. Commentary will be taken from the world feed, which is likely to feature Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan.
The live radio coverage will be on Talksport, not BBC Test Match Special. Although the BBC bid for the rights, they were beaten by the commercial broadcaster.
Who is in the England squad?
England surprised supporters by announcing Shoaib Bashir, a 20-year-old Somerset off-spinner, as one of three uncapped players in their squad.
Bashir, who has played just six games of first-class cricket for Somerset, has been picked on potential, probably based on his high action and impressive performances on an England Lions training camp in the UAE.
However, Bashir has been ruled out of the first Test after being unable to fly to India because of a visa delay.
In a 16-player touring party the other two men uncapped at Test level are Lancashire left-arm spinner Tom Hartley and Surrey fast bowler Gus Atkinson. Hartley and Atkinson have both played white-ball cricket for the national team.
Rehan Ahmed, the leg-spinner, is also in the team and there is a fourth spin option in Jack Leach, who is returning from a stress fracture in his back. Liam Dawson and Will Jacks, two other spinners with international experience, have been left out.
There are four seam-bowling options: James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood and Atkinson.
Harry Brook has been ruled out of the early part of the tour while attending to an undisclosed personal matter back in England.
England’s 16-man squad for India
Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak 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 are the top-ranked side in Test cricket, after a 1-1 draw in the three-match series against South Africa. The hosts confirmed their 16-man squad for the first two Test matches, only for Virat Kohli to pull out for undisclosed personal reasons.
India’s 16-man squad for first two Tests
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), KS Bharat (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), 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 the Tests?
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 most recent Test results between the two teams?
India in England (2021)
August: Match 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 delayed by 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 wicket
March: India won by an innings and 25 runs
