In a controversial move that has raised eyebrows, England have decided to drop James Anderson for the first Test match against India and off-spinner Tom Hartley is set to make his Test debut.
England have announced their playing XI for the first match of the five-match Test series against India that is set to begin on January 25th in Hyderabad. Veteran fast bowler James Anderson has missed out on a place in the playing XI with off-spinner Tom Hartley set to make his debut.
England believe the pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium will assist spinners and have therefore decided to name three spinners in their playing eleven. Hartley will be joined by veteran Jack Leach and young leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed.
Hartley has played 20 first-class matches so far and taken 40 wickets in that period. And now, he is all set to make his Test debut. Apart from Hartley, Leach and Ahmed, England also have Joe Root who can roll his arm over. More importantly, Root has troubled Indian batters in the past and even claimed a five-wicket haul against India in 2021.
In the absence of Anderson, Mark Wood is all set to lead the English pace bowling department with Ben Stokes being the other pace bowling option. Similarly, England have also taken a leaf out of India’s book and announced that Jonny Bairstow will play as a specialist batter while Ben Foakes dons the wicketkeeping gloves.
The absence of Anderson is certain to raise eyebrows given that the 42-year-old is the leader of England’s Test bowling attack. Moreover, he is one of the few bowlers in the current England Test team that has prior experience of playing in India. He had played a pivotal role in England’s victory the last time they beat India in a Test series on home soil in 2012.
But Anderson’s omission might still not be the most surprising thing about the first Test. During a pre-match press conference, Ben Stokes said that he could explore the option of opening the bowling with Joe Root if India fields their left-handed opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal.
With world-class players in both teams and an ultra-attacking brand of cricket on display, the India-England series is set to be one of the most exciting contests in recent times.
