In the opening clash of the five-match series against India on Thursday, England captain Ben Stokes elected to bat. The Indian team opted for the inclusion of left-arm spinner Axar Patel, favoring him over Kuldeep Yadav. With Virat Kohli absent, KL Rahul is slated to take the No. 4 batting position, while Srikar Bharat will be donning the gloves.
Adding to the excitement, England introduced debutant Tom Hartley, a tall left-arm spinner, into the playing XI. The team compositions for the match are as follows:
India:
- Captain: Rohit Sharma
- Players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Srikar Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj.
England:
- Captain: Ben Stokes
- Players: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes (wk), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, and Jack Leach.
This sets the stage for an intriguing battle between the two cricketing powerhouses in the series opener. Stay tuned for all the live action and updates.
(With Agency Inputs)
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