For the first Test match between India and England at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, a total of three spinners were selected.
At the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, India selected three spinners in total for the first Test match against England; however, Kuldeep Yadav was not included in the squad. However, the players who were included for the match were Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin. When the team management had to choose between Axar and Kuldeep Yadav during the toss, Rohit revealed that the former was chosen because of his batting prowess.
“We gave it a lot of thought, but it was difficult to leave out Kuldeep Yadav. In his previous games, Axar (Patel) has performed admirably and is a terrific batsman in these circumstances. In our most recent match against Australia, he scored some extremely impressive points. After England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bat first, Rohit Sharma remarked, “That’s probably why we went with Axar.”
Rohit, meanwhile, had great confidence in his group and stated that they are prepared to take on England.
“I am playing for the first time, and it’s a good series—five Test matches. The men are anticipating it. It will be difficult, but we are prepared for it. We have already played in these circumstances. We know what’s ahead and what we have to do; it just comes down to using your abilities, believing in yourself, and having the guts to seize the chance,” the captain remarked.
As Rohit has already said, they don’t care how England plays; instead, they believe that “Bazball” against spin will be the narrative of the five-match series.
The last time England won a Test series in India was in 2012. Despite superb batting from Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen, the visitors prevailed in the series because to the ball-playing exploits of Monty Panesar, Graeme Swann, and James Anderson.
Since then, only Australia has come dangerously close to winning a Test series in India in 2016–17.
