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India
England
The much-awaited India vs England Test series will commence at the Uppal Stadium in Hyderabad. The recently renovated stadium is touted as an unorthodox Test match venue within the cricketing circuit with more suitable conditions for limited-over cricket.
The last Test match played at the venue was over five years ago in 2018 between India and West Indies with the hosts winning comfortably by 10 wickets. Those were the days when Rohit Sharma was a not-so-common sight in red-ball cricket.
England has not played any red-ball cricket since the Ashes that concluded in July 2023, while India drew the two-match Test series against South Africa in early January 2024.
The visitors will be hungry to prove βBazballβ success with a series win in India. With these two formidable sides clashing, the top bookmakers in India are offering mouth-watering odds.
The Indian allrounder R Ashwin has never been out of form when playing in India and also provides valuable runs in the lower order.
The betting tip is...
Ravichandran Ashwin to be the Player of the Match
80 %
20 %
IndiaEnglandExperienced campaigners like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have not been picked while Virat Kohli is set to miss the first two Tests citing personal reasons. This means all eyes will be on youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill. Shreyas Iyer made his way back into the Test side along with KL Rahul after the duo made their comeback from injuries.Β
KL Rahul is expected to take the gloves while Dhruv Jurel is an exciting addition and will gain international exposure in this series.Β
Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar have been given opportunities over an injured Mohammed Shami. And with the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav a heavy spin-friendly pitch could be seen as per our experts.
Both of Indiaβs top two run-getters in Hyderabad, Pujara, and Kohli, will not feature in the first two Test matches. Ashwin has picked 27 wickets in 8 innings while Jadeja has 15 wickets in 6 innings. The duoβs presence and experience will play a decisive role in the series.
Expect Yashasvi Jaiswal to feature and Dhruv Jurel to debut in a spin-heavy lineup for the hosts.
Predicted Lineup: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel (wk), R Jadeja, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah
The visitors will be charged up for the India tour after not being able to stop Australia from retaining the Ashes on their home soil.Β
Captain Ben Stokes has picked a few more spinners this time around after facing Indiaβs spin attack in 2021. Joe Root captained England in the series against Virat Kohliβs India which ended in a 2-2 draw.
Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, James Anderson, and Zak Crawley have been picked after their impressive performances in the Asian subcontinent over recent years.Β
Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed, and Shoaib Bashir will support the Jack Leach-led spin attack. Expect Joe Root to roll his arms over as heβs a very handy spinner.Β
England will want Bairstow to focus on batting which means Ben Foakes would take up the gloves. One of Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson will be seen supporting James Anderson with timely spells from the captain himself.
The visitors will play the subcontinent way, unlike their last visit where only Jack Leach and Joe Root were their main spinners.
Predicted Lineup: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Jack Leach, Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed/Shoaib Bashir, Mark Wood, James Anderson
It is a no-brainer that the team with a better spin attack will win this match. The likes of Ashwin, Jadeja, and Kuldeep will be destructive in conditions that highly favour their bowling style.
Jack Leach and Joe Root will be trouble for India with the ball as their bowling style matches the prime Indian bowlers. Keeping all this in mind we predict Team India to win this match without any fuss.
