India vs England 1st Test: Axar Patel the third spin-bowling option, KS Bharat to keep wickets

India went with Axar Patel as the third spin bowling option, alongside Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin, for the first Test against England at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday. With KL Rahul not the designated wicketkeeper, KS Bharat will don the gloves.

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“Axar is the third spinner. Tough on Kuldeep (Yadav), spoke a lot about it, but Axar has done well whenever he’s played, gives us batting depth,” said India captain Rohit Sharma at the start.

Unlike England, India have two seam bowling options for the first Test with Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah leading the lines. The decision could be aided by the batting abilities of Axar which put him ahead of Kuldeep.

At the toss, visiting captain Ben Stokes made the right call and England decided to bat.

Rohit said the hosts would have batted as well if the toss had gone their way. “We would’ve batted first as well,” said Rohit. “Looks dry, played in these conditions a fair but to understand what we need to do. Got the skills, got guys who can do the job. Playing a five-Test series for the first time, guys excited about it. Will be challenging, we’re up for it. Had a few days to prepare, played in these conditions before, know what to expect.”

England had named their playing XI on the eve of the opening Test with three spinners and Joe Root the four options while Mark Wood would carry the mantle as the solitary seam bowler.

Jack Leach leads England’s spin department, with support from debutant Tom Hartley and Rehan Ahmed. Left-arm spinner Hartley has 40 wickets at 36.57 from just 20 first-class appearances for Lancashire. Legspinner Rehan made his only Test appearance last winter in Pakistan, where he took 5/48 in the second innings.

Root, who claimed his career-best figures of 5/8 on England’s last Test tour of India, will likely play a crucial role with the ball as well.

Wood has been handed the sole seam bowling position in the England XI. His extra pace and knack of reverse-swing put him ahead of James Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Gus Atkinson. He emphasised his abilities during the Ashes last year where he came into the final three matches and took 14 wickets as England came from 2-0 down to level the series.

“When you go with one seamer, you look at the impact you want out of that seamer,” Stokes said. “What Woody brings with his high pace, he is a real impact bowler. If we can get the ball swinging, him bowling in the 90s-mph with a reverse-swinging ball will be very difficult to play against.

“He’s a weapon we can use in short, sharp spells. We’ve already said that to him. Bowl as fast as you can in short periods. There’s no worries about thinking about long spells. You never know, things might change and he might have to bowl a few long spells. That’s how I envision using Woody before we’ve bowled a ball.”

Virat Kohli and Harry Brook are missing because of personal reasons.

India XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat (WK), Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah

England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes (WK), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, Jack Leach