Hyderabad: The visiting England side will face a stern Indian spin 'test' when the two sides face each other at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Uppal here for the first Test commencing on Thursday.
India's spin trio of seasoned off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, would be keen to make the England batters dance to their tunes as the pitches in India aid the spinners.
It shouldn't surprise anyone if the ball starts turning right from Day 2 and English batters have a horrendous time in the middle.
The last two series between India and England in India, the one in 2016-2017 and 2021 were won by India and dominated by the spinners, and it will be no different this time around. Ashwin was the wrecker in chief, as he clinched 60 scalps and the Tamil Nadu spin sensation would be keen to add more to his tally. The 37-year-old is just 10 wickets away from clinching 500 wickets and must be eyeing to achieve the landmark in the first Test itself.
In 2016-17, Ravindra Jadeja picked 26 wickets against the visiting England, while Gujarat's Axar Patel, who made his Test debut in 2021, ran through the English line-up in his maiden series. However, management can go with Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav if they opt to add variety to their bowling lineup.
For the record, with 337 wickets in home conditions against all the countries, the 37-year-old will need to bag another 14 wickets, to surpass former skipper and veteran leg spinner Anil Kumble's tally of 350, the most wickets by a spinner in India.
In the absence of star batter Virat Kohli, who is missing the Hyderabad and the Visakhapatnam Test, the Indian top order comprising skipper Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill will have to shoulder the responsibility of tackling English bowlers. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul will have to play their roles to perfection in the middle order.
Head coach Rahul Dravid made it amply clear that KL Rahul will not keep wickets in the five-match series, two days before the first Test, and hence India would go in with either KS Bharat or Dhruv Jurel. If Jurel, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, makes it to the playing eleven, he will make his Test debut.
England, who have latched onto "Bazball" would probably continue their attacking approach but it won't be an easy task for the Ben Stokes-led side especially while facing the Indian spin trio on Indian tracks.
While India will be keen to start the Test series on a high and consolidate their position in the World Test Championship, England would be aiming to erase memories of the past two tours and start afresh.
India squad for first 2 Tests: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan
England squad: Ben Stokes (C), James Anderson, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Shoib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes (Wk), Dan Lawrence, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood
