England cricket travel to India to embark upon one of the toughest challenges of any touring side, a five-Test tour of India cricket.
Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, England have not lost a series, they have beaten South Africa and New Zealand, as well as Pakistan away in the winter of 2022. Since McCullum took over in May 2022, the team have drawn just two series, in New Zealand and at home to Australia.
They have sought to revolutionise Test cricket with an attacking style of play and afforded freedom to players which has resulted in some extraordinary matches. So far, Bazball England have been equal to every challenge they have come up against, including a difficult tour of Pakistan, when they won the three-Test series 3-0.
India is a notoriously difficult place to travel and perform, and it will be a difficult test against a side who are unbeaten since Sir Alastair Cook led England to victory there in 2012-13. Their chances improved with the news Virat Kohli will miss the first two Tests due to personal reasons.
Here’s everything you need to know.
When is it?
The five-Test tour will start on January 25 in Hyderabad, and below is the full schedule.
1st Test: January 25–29, Hyderabad (4am GMT)
2nd Test: February 2–6, Visakhapatnam (4am GMT)
3rd Test: February 15–19, Rajkot (4am GMT)
4th Test: February 23-27, Ranchi (4am GMT)
5th Test: March 7–11, Dharamsala (4am GMT)
How can I watch it?
After a late agreement was reached just nine days before the first ball was due to be bowled, TNT Sports will show the series.
TNT Sports can be streamed live via the Discovery+ app, and coverage will start at 3.45am GMT.
Live radio commentary will be on Talksport.
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Team news
England called up three uncapped players for the tour, spinners 20-year-old Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley and fast-bowler Gus Atkinson.
Bashir has only played six first-class matches for Somerset and has been chosen on potential and for his high arm.
England’s 16-man 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’s 16-man squad (for the first two Tests): Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, KS Bharat, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan
Odds
The odds for the first Test match in Hyderabad are:
India 2/5
Draw 13/2
England 16/5
Prediction
It will be a tough ask for England, but India will not be accustomed to their style of play. With regard to the series, we believe the hosts will win. India 4-1 England