India retain pace duo for series opener against England

HYDERABAD, India : India picked a three-pronged spin attack but did not completely disregard the need for speed against England in the opening test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday.

England captain Ben Stokes, who elected to bat after winning the toss, took a gamble by going into the match with Mark Wood as the lone fast bowler in their spin-heavy attack.

Jack Leach will lead their spin department which also includes teenager Rehan Ahmed, who has played one test, and debutant Tom Hartley.

Part-timer Joe Root is their fourth spin option.

India retained the pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj while picking three specialist spinners.

All-rounder Axar Patel pipped Kuldeep Yadav to join Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in India's spin attack for the first match of the five-test series.

"You're not sure what you are going to get, so bat and get a big score," Stokes said at the toss.

"We know the challenge India presents but this is an opportunity to do something special."

His India counterpart Rohit Sharma said they too would have liked to bat first.

"The pitch looks dry. We understand what we need to do and we've got the skills, got guys who can do the job," Rohit said.

"It will be challenging but we're up for it."

Teams:

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Srikar Bharat (wicketkeeper), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah

England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Johhny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (captain), Ben Foakes(wicketkeeper), Rehan Ahmed, Mark Wood, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach