England have named a somewhat surprising XI for their first Test match against India, which starts tomorrow (January 25) in Hyderabad.
After a dizzying few days of news which saw Harry Brook return home, ruled out of at least the majority of the tour, Shoaib Bashir’s visa issues count him out of a Test debut and uncertainty over Ben Stokes’ fitness, England have laid their cards on the table. It was confirmed prior to the XI being announced that Ben Foakes would make his return to the side, and the batting lineup (minus Brook) is as expected.
However, there is no James Anderson and no Ollie Robinson in the team, leaving Mark Wood as the sole fast bowler at England’s disposal. Tom Hartley will make his Test debut as part of a three-pronged spin attack – four if you include Joe Root – with Jack Leach returning to the side after his summer injury layoff, and Rehan Ahmed back over a year on from his debut in Pakistan.
It’s an XI that leaves a lot to unpick, with less than 24 hours until they take the field.
Mark Wood the sole quick
From uncertainty over whether he would be able to feature in the tour after securing an ILT20 gig in September, Wood will be England’s only non-spin option for the first Test. It is a bold move as ever from the McCullum-Stokes thinktank, and one that places immense faith in Wood’s body.
Although two seamers would’ve been the max after looking at the Hyderabad surface, that it’s Wood given the nod over Anderson and Robinson is significant. Yes, Wood’s pace is likely to be the most effective option in Indian conditions, but with only short, sharp spells of pace to break them up, the decision puts more pressure on a spin attack who’s most recent Test game-time was last June.
It also leaves the question of who will open the bowling alongside Wood. Stokes suggested before naming the XI that he could go as radical as throwing the new ball to Joe Root, the only option to consistently take the ball away from a left-hander.
How many spinners?
With Bashir not yet in the country, England have named all of their available spinners in their side. The two left-arm orthodoxes in Hartley and Leach combined with Ahmed’s mix of leg breaks and googlies means the attack is dominated by bowlers spinning the ball away from right-handers. Although, it should also be safe to assume the Root will get through a decent quota of overs during the Test.
How Rehan goes, in what will be his second Test match but with even more hype than his debut in Pakistan in December 2022, will be crucial. Coming in at the end of a series already won in Pakistan, in a team on a roll and under significantly different conditions than what will be on offer over the next few days seems a long time ago from the challenge he now faces. Trusted as the second to Leach, himself having not played Test cricket in seven months, with little to fall back on will be the biggest step-up in his international career to date.
Foakes is back
While not a surprise having been previously confirmed by Stokes, Foakes’ inclusion in the side marks another key point in the Bairstow-Foakes gloves wrestle. Brook’s absence made Foakes’ path back into the XI easier, with no decision over dropping established batters needing to be taken.
It also means Bairstow can slot up the order to five, making Brook’s absence less glaring. Given Foakes’ prowess behind the stumps and Bairstow’s still fresh-in-the-memory fluffs during the Ashes, long days in the field under the sun, keeping on potentially deteriorating surfaces look slightly more palatable with Foakes wearing the gloves.
England will bat deep
With Ollie Pope back into the XI after recovering from his dislocated shoulder, Bairstow up to five and Foakes down at seven, England’s specialist batting order looks back as it should. Stokes pulling through from his knee surgery in time for this Test is a major result, meaning a recently arrived Dan Lawrence didn’t need to be catapulted straight into action.
But with Rehan set to come in at No.8, Tom Hartley and his first class average of 29.00 at nine, all before Mark Wood’s tree-trunk bat at ten, there’s significant batting depth in England’s lineup. All of that could count for nothing against R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah etc, but it’s worth noting in what could be a low-scoring game, the potential for a 30 to 40-run cameo from one of them could be notable.
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