Led by Ollie Pope’s stunning 196 and a sensational seven-wicket haul from debutant spinner Tom Hartley, England pulled off one of their great overseas victories to take a 1-0 lead over India.
With India chasing 231 to win on a badly-wearing day-four pitch, Hartley, the Lancashire left-armer, picked up the first four wickets to fall, before fellow spinners Joe Root and Jack Leach got involved. A quite stunning run out from the captain Stokes saw off Ravindra Jadeja, before India showed some resistance.
Hartley broke the partnership between KS Bharat and Ravi Ashwin, dismissing both men in successive overs, then the slogging Mohammed Siraj in the final over of the extra half-hour. He had become the first England spinner to take a seven-wicket haul on debut since the great Jim Laker.
England lead the five-Test series 1-0, continuing their fine run of form under the captaincy of Stokes and coaching of Brendon McCullum. They have won 14 of 19 Tests since the duo took over in June 2022.
What is the full fixture list and schedule?
All times UK
1st Test: January 25–29, Hyderabad – England won by 28 runs
2nd Test: February 2–6, Visakhapatnam (4am start)
3rd Test: February 15–19, Rajkot (4am start)
4th Test: February 23-27, Ranchi (4am start)
5th Test: March 7–11, Dharamsala (4am start)
What TV channel is India vs England on?
In the UK, TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) is showing the series after reaching an agreement just nine days before the first ball was bowled. The matches are also available to view on discovery+. Commentary is being taken from the world feed, which features Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan. For the second Test and the rest of the series, TNT Sports are flying Alastair Cook and Steven Finn to Sweden in order to provide studio analysis.
The live radio coverage is on Talksport 2, not BBC Test Match Special. Although the BBC bid for the rights, they were beaten by the commercial broadcaster.
Who is in the England squad?
England surprised supporters by announcing Shoaib Bashir, a 20-year-old Somerset off-spinner, as one of three uncapped players in their squad.
Bashir, who has played just six games of first-class cricket for Somerset, has been picked on potential, probably based on his high action and impressive performances on an England Lions training camp in the UAE.
However, Bashir was ruled out of the first Test after being unable to fly to India in time because of a visa delay.
In a 16-player touring party, the other two men uncapped selections were Lancashire left-arm spinner Hartley and Surrey fast bowler Gus Atkinson. Hartley and Atkinson have both played white-ball cricket for the national team.
Rehan Ahmed, the leg-spinner, is also in the team and there is a fourth spin option in Jack Leach, who is returning from a stress fracture in his back. Liam Dawson and Will Jacks, two other spinners with international experience, have been left out.
There are four seam-bowling options: James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood and Atkinson.
Harry Brook has been ruled out of the early part of the tour while attending to an undisclosed personal matter back in England.
England’s 16-man squad for India
Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood, Dan Lawrence.
Who is in the India squad?
India are 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, only for Virat Kohli to pull out for undisclosed personal reasons.
India’s 16-man squad for 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 Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar
What are the venues and stadiums for the Tests?
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 most recent 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 (match delayed by Covid): 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 wicket
March: India won by an innings and 25 runs
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