January 25, 2024 The first Test between India and England has kicked off in Hyderabad, marking the return of England to India after a hiatus of two and a half years. The toss was won by England captain Ben Stokes, who chose to bat first. Both teams have undergone changes in captains and coaches during the intervening period.
Here are some live updates from the match:
•Toss and Decision: England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bat first.
•Opening Batsmen: Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett opened the innings for England.
•Early Boundaries: Crawley started with early success, hitting back-to-back fours against Siraj.
•England’s Intentions: England displayed their intentions clearly, with Duckett contributing with two wonderful shots.
•Score Update: After 2 overs, England was 9/0. Crawley was on nine off 11, while Duckett was on nought off one.
•National Anthems: The players observed the national anthems of both England and India before the start of the match.
•Avesh Khan’s Release: Avesh Khan was released from the squad to play for his Ranji trophy team, Madhya Pradesh, in their next Ranji Trophy fixture.
•Pitch Conditions: Indian captain Rohit Sharma mentioned that the pitch looks dry, expressing confidence in India’s ability to deal with both batting and bowling.
•England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (w), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, Jack Leach.
•India XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Srikar Bharat (w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
Ravichandran Ashwin is 10 wickets away from reaching 500 Test wickets. This Test marks the first time in 11 years that India is playing a Test match at home without Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane in the squad. Shubman Gill, seen as a direct replacement for Cheteshwar Pujara, will aim to regain form in home conditions. Initial pictures indicate a dry pitch, and there’s anticipation of spin on the first day. Stay tuned for more live updates throughout the day!
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