London: The upcoming home Test series between India and England is set to unfold on turning pitches, as revealed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The squad, captained by Rohit Sharma, includes four spinners, emphasizing a strategic move to exploit favorable conditions. With KL Rahul, KS Bharat, and Dhruv Jurel as wicketkeepers, Bharat is expected to take on the role against England.
In contrast to the South Africa tour, where bounce played a significant role, the Indian team is opting for a spin-centric approach. A BCCI source explained, “The Indian team will once again be playing on a turner track, and the team management felt that specialist spinners should handle the job at home. The team has many quality spinners, and the team won’t take any chances, especially when the pitch being offered will be a turner.”
Meanwhile, England’s red-ball vice-captain, Ollie Pope, anticipates discussions about the pitches during their Test tour of India. Acknowledging the potential for outside scrutiny, Pope emphasized the importance of being well-prepared on the exact same wickets both teams will play on.
The five-Test series kicks off on January 25 in Hyderabad, featuring an England squad led by Ben Stokes and an Indian squad led by Rohit Sharma.
England Squad: Ben Stokes (Captain), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood.
India Squad (First Two Tests): Rohit Sharma (C), S Gill, Y Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, S Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan.
