England lead the five-Test series against India 1-0, continuing their fine run of form under the captaincy of Ben Stokes and coaching of Brendon McCullum. They have won 14 of 19 Tests since the duo took over in June 2022.
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 in Hyderabad, turning a 190-run first-innings deficit into a 28-run victory.
There is speculation that India could prepare an exceedingly spin-friendly track for the second Test, which starts this week. However, the hosts will be without Ravindra Jadeja, one of their premier spinners, owing to an injury he picked up in Hyderabad. India will also be missing KL Rahul for Vizag, and were already without Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Shami.
England meanwhile may have to find a replacement for Jack Leach, who suffered a knock to his knee in the first Test. He will be assessed later this week. Shoaib Bashir, the rookie spinner who had trouble obtaining a visa and was therefore unavailable to play last week, arrived in India midway through the first Test.
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.
Although there was no studio presence at all for the first Test, for the second Test and the rest of the series, TNT Sports are flying Alastair Cook and Steven Finn to Sweden in order to get up early and provide an on-screen presence. The studio host will be Kate Mason.
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. During the first Test, the coverage felt basic but clear.
Who is in the England squad?
England’s squad of 16 features a mix of youth and experience. Veterans like Joe Root and James Anderson are joined by rookie spinners in Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley, the latter of whom took nine wickets on debut in the opening game. Harry Brook was allowed to return to the UK before the first Test even started, for personal reasons. He may be available for selection later in the tour but has been replaced in the squad by Dan Lawrence.
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
Added: Dan Lawrence
India went into this series as the top-ranked side in Test cricket, after a 1-1 draw in the three-match contest 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. He was replaced by Rajat Patidar.
After the first Test, India’s injury problems deepened with Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul both becoming unavailable for the second Test owing to injuries.
India’s 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
Added: Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Sourabh Kumar, Washington Sundar
What are the venues and stadiums for the Tests?
Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium/Uppal Stadium
Location: Hyderabad
Established: 2003
Capacity: 55,000