India vs England 2024: 1st Test Match Best Predicted Playing 11
Axar Patel returns as we look at the confirmed playing 11 for India vs England 2024 1st Test match for both teams.
‘Bazball’, the word will be in focus as India take on the England team in the 5-match test series starting January 25. It’s the last official series for both teams before they gear up for IPL 2024 and the 2024 T20 World Cup. Both teams have also officially announced the squad for the first two Test matches. While the Indian team will be led by Rohit Sharma, the England team shall be led by Ben Stokes.
In the ICC WTC 2023-25 points table, both teams are standing poles apart. While India are second with a PCT of 54.16%, England are ninth with a PCT of 15%. With the 5-match Test series schedule in India’s den, the difference in PCT% between both the teams is only going to increase as England prepare to play their toughest tour ever.
For India, the series against South Africa ended on a positive note as they won the Newlands Test match for the first time in history. Taking much confidence from there, India now have three home Test series with England to start, and New Zealand and Bangladesh to follow. It is also going to be a great opportunity for the Indian team, which is currently going through a transition phase in the batting department with a lot of new players.
Match Details:
Tournament: England Tour of India 2024
Type: 1st Test Match
Where: Hyderabad
When: Jan 25-29, 9:30 am IST onwards
So, as we wait for the Test series to begin, let’s in the meantime evaluate the current squad, and find out the best 11 players that Team India and England team can deploy. Given that, both teams will be playing in Indian conditions, spin will play a huge part in the selection. So, let’s look at India vs England 1st Test 2024 confirmed playing 11 for both teams.
India vs England 2024 Official Squad for 1st & 2nd Test
Batters: Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli & Yashasvi Jaiswal
WKs: Dhruv Juel, KL Rahul & KS Bharat
All-rounders: Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja & Ravichandran Ashwin
Bowlers: Avesh Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj & Mukesh Kumar
Team India’s Playing 11
If we talk about India’s playing 11, there should be no change in India’s top 6. While Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal should continue to open, Shubman Gill should play at 3, Virat Kohli should play at 4, Shreyas Iyer at 5, and wicket-keeper KL Rahul at 6. In the absence of Rishabh Pant, this seems to be the current strongest batting lineup in the Indian team.
The Indian batting lineup is currently in the transition phase with 4 new batters in the team. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill are just starting their career, and they won’t get a better opportunity than their home conditions to stamp their authority in the Test format. Similarly, Shreyas Iyer is new to the Indian test team. Whereas KL Rahul is donning a new role as a lower-order wicket-keeper in the team.
However, with a solid and confirmed top 6, expect a few changes in the bottom five for Team India. With Hyderabad assisting both spin and pace, India will still go ahead with a 3 spin and 2 pace combination. Thankfully, India have 3 spin all-rounders in place, and India will select all three of them. For the pace department, India will most likely go ahead with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
India vs England 2024 1st Test Confirmed Playing 11 for the Indian Team:
Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah & Mohammed Siraj
So, that’s about the playing 11 for India for the 2024 1st Test vs England. Overall, there doesn’t seem to be much dilemma for the Indian team. If they go ahead with 3 spin and 2 pace combination, look no different than the one mentioned above. However, in case India decides to select three pacers, expect Mukesh Kumar to come in for Axar Patel. However, that move looks unlikely for now.
India vs Eng 2024 Official Test Squad for England:
Batters: Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Joe Root, Ollie Pope & Zak Crawley
WKs: Ben Foakes & Jonny Bairstow
All-rounders: Ben Stokes & Rehan Ahmed
Bowlers: Gus Atkinson, Jack Leach, James Anderson, Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson, Shoaib Bashir & Tom Hartley
Coming to England’s playing 11, we should see Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett as openers. Ollie Pope should play at 3, Joe Root at 4, and most probably Harry Brook or Ben Stokes at 5 or 6. Jonny Bairstow should fulfill the wicket-keeping duties. Mostly, England will go ahead with 2 pace and 2 spin combination. While James Anderson and Mark Wood should be the pacers, Shoaib Bashir and Jack Leach should be the spinners in the squad.
India vs England 2024 1st Test Confirmed Playing 11 for the Eng Team:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook, Jonny Bairstow, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson, Mark Wood & Jack Leach.
Thanks for reading! What’s your playing 11 for the India vs England 2024 1st Test? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com
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Adesh Kothari is the founder of AK4Tsay1 Cricalytics with over 20 years of experience following Cricket.
Cricket to him is like what Football is to Lionel Messi, Singing is to Lata Mangeshkar, Dancing is to Michael Jackson, and Acting is to Clint Eastwood.
Besides his effervescent love for Cricket, Adesh is an MBA by qualification.
