Ind vs Eng 1st Test: Stokes wins toss, opts to bowl first at Headingley Carnegie

The wait for the much-anticipated Test series between India and England has ended. England skipper Ben Stokes has won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Yorkshire Cricket Ground.

Sai Sudharsan has been handed the debut cap by India`s Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara. Over the years, Pujara has been batting at number three for India in the traditional format of the game. As the match proceeds, Sai may come in to bat at number three as skipper Gill will be taking up the role of Kohli at number four. Additionally, Shardul Thakur has been preferred as the only pace bowling all-rounder by India. Youngster Nitish Kumar Reddy has been benched for the series opener against the `Three Lions`.

A sigh of relief for the Indian fans will be that the premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been picked for the first Test. As of now, there is no confirmation as to which of the matches the Indian management will be looking to make Bumrah take the field.

After losing the toss, Team India`s skipper Shubman Gill stated that they would have bowled first, as well as there might be some help initially in the first session.

From the visitor`s side, they will miss the services of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin. The hosts will also miss the presence of James Anderson, one of their top-performing fast bowlers against India.

Ind vs Eng Test series: Squads

India squad: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc, wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana.

England squad: Ben Stokes (Durham) – Captain, Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Cook (Essex), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).

Ind vs Eng Test series: Confirmed playing XI

India`s playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

England`s playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.

This article first appeared on Mid Day