England have finally announced their playing XI for the first Test against India which is set to be played from January 25 in Hyderabad. Surprisingly England have included three spinners with just one pacer in their playing XI. Jack Leach, Tom Hartley and Rehan Ahmed will be the three spinners for England while Mark Wood will be the lone pacer as Ben Stokes won't be seen bowling in the five-match Test series. Notably, Tom Hartley will mark his debut for England as Shoaib Bashir has returned to UK after visa issues. Hartley brings experience from 20 first-class matches, having claimed 40 wickets, including a five-wicket haul. If we look at it, Joe Root will be England's fourth spinner to bolster their spin attack. Shockingly James Anderson couldn't make it to England's playing XI.
Surprisingly, Mark Wood is the sole fast bowler in the line-up for the first Test against India, as James Anderson has not been included for the Hyderabad Test. Captain Ben Stokes will participate primarily as a batter due to knee problems, while Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett will open the batting. Ollie Pope is set to bat at number three, followed by Root in his preferred number four position. The team includes two wicketkeepers, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes, who are set to bat at fifth and seventh, respectively. In its press release, the ECB did not specify the wicketkeeping responsibilities, but Ben Foakes seems the most likely candidate for the role, considering his skills. Along with Bashir and Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Gus Atkinson are also absent from the team.
Meanwhile, in a conversation with Wisden Cricket Monthly following the squad announcement in December, Hartley talked about his strategy for the upcoming Test series, stating he plans to rely on the pitch to assist his bowling.
“I’ve only been to India once but the pitches just allow you to fire it in, you don’t even have to think about flight or guile or anything like that. You just let the pitch do the work. In county cricket the pitches are a lot flatter, so spinners have to use their wits a bit more, whereas in India you’re the one who’s meant to be in control," said Hartley.
England XI for 1st Test: 1. Zak Crawley, 2. Ben Duckett, 3. Ollie Pope, 4. Joe Root, 5. Jonny Bairstow, 6. Ben Stokes (captain), 7. Ben Foakes, 8. Rehan Ahmed, 9. Tom Hartley, 10. Mark Wood, 11. Jack Leach
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