by England led the five-Test series against India 1-0, continuing their fine run of form under the captaincy of Ben Stokes and the coaching of Brendan McCullum. They have won 14 of 19 Tests since the pair took over in June 2022.
Led by Ollie Pope’s brilliant 196 and a remarkable seven-wicket haul from opening spinner Tom Hartley, England pulled off one of their biggest overseas wins in Hyderabad, turning a first-run deficit of 190 into a 28-run victory.
There is speculation that India could prepare an extremely spin-friendly track for the second Test, which begins this week. However, the hosts will be without Ravindra Jadeja, one of their favorite spinners, due to an injury he sustained in Hyderabad. India will also be missing KL Rahul for Vizag, and were already without Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Shami.
Meanwhile, England may have to find a replacement for Jack Leach, who suffered a knock to his knee in the first Test. He will be assessed later this week. Shoaib Bashir, the rookie spinner who struggled to get a visa and was unavailable to play last week, arrived in India midway through the first Test.
What is the full fixture list and schedule?
Every time in the UK
1st Test: January 25-29, Hyderabad – England won by 28 runs
2nd Test: 2-6 February, Visakhapatnam (4am start)
3rd Test: 15-19 February, Rajkot (4 am)
4th Test: 23-27 February, Ranchi (4am start)
5th Test: 7–11 March, Dharamsala (4am start)
Which TV channel is India vs England on?
In the UK, TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) is showing the series after an agreement was reached just nine days before the first ball was bowled. The games can also be viewed on discovery+. Commentary is being taken from the life of the world, featuring Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan.
Although there was no studio presence for the first Test, the second Test and the rest of the series, TNT Sports is flying Alastair Cook and Steven Finn to Sweden to get up early and provide screen presence. Kate Mason is the host of the studio.
Live radio coverage is on Talksport 2, not BBC Test Match Special. Although the BBC made a bid for the rights, they were beaten by the commercial broadcaster. During the first Test, the coverage felt basic but clear.
Who is in the England squad?
England’s squad of 16 has a mix of youth and experience. Veterans like Joe Root and James Anderson are joined by rookie spinners in Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley, the latter of whom took nine wickets on debut in the opening game. Harry Brook was allowed to return to the UK before the first Test even started, for personal reasons. He may be available for selection later in the tour but has been replaced in the squad by Dan Lawrence.
England’s 16-man squad for India
Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Shoaib Bashir, Harry BrookZak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood
Added: Dan Lawrence
Who is in the India squad?
India entered this series as the top-ranked side in Test cricket, after a 1-1 draw in the three-match series against South Africa. The hosts confirmed their 16-man squad for the first two Test matches, except for Virat Kohli to pull out for undisclosed personal reasons. He was replaced by Rajat Patidar.
After the first Test, India’s injury problems escalated with Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul becoming unavailable for the second Test due to injuries.
India’s squad for the first two Tests
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper)KS Bharat (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra JadejaAxar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan
Added: Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Sourabh Kumar, Washington Sundar
What are the venues and locations for the Trials?
Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium/Uppal Stadium
Location: Hyderabad
Established: 2003
Capacity: 55,000
Dr YS Rajashekar Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium
Location: Visakhapatnam
Established: 2003
Capacity: 40,000
Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium/Khandheri Cricket Stadium
Location: Rajkot
Established: 2009
Capacity: 28,000
Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium
Location: Ranchi
Established: 2011
Capacity: 50,000
Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium
Location: Dharamsala
Established: 2003
Capacity: 23,000
What are the latest Test results between the two teams?
India in England (2021)
August: Match drawn
August: India won by 151 runs
August: England won by an innings and 76 runs
September: India won by 157 runs
July 2022 (Covid delay game): England won by seven wickets
England in India (2021)
February: England won by 227 runs
February: India won by 317 runs
February: India won by 10 wickets
March: India won by an innings and 25 runs
