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’s squad for their series in India features a mix of youth and experience. Ben Stokes leads a squad of 16, featuring veterans like Joe Root and James Anderson as well as uncapped spinners Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley. Harry Brook has been allowed to return to the UK for personal reasons.
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.
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