Kohli not fussed by DRS00:13:20
Kohli not fussed by DRS
ALASTAIR Cook is set to bat with his 10th opening partner since the retirement of Andrew Strauss four years ago.
And partner No.10 is the youngest of the lot so far.
Nineteen-year-old Haseeb Hameed will make his Test debut on Wednesday (AEDT) when England takes on India in the first of five Tests.
At 19 years and 297 days of age, when Hameed walks onto the field against India he will become England’s fifth youngest Test cricketer ever and the youngest since Ben Hollioake, who debuted against Australia at 19 years and 269 days.
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The task facing him is not easy an easy one.
As stellar as his numbers are — he has a first-class average of 48.50 and was the fifth-highest run-scorer in the last County season (1191 at 49.91) — this will be his first first-class match outside of England.
His opponents currently sit atop the Test rankings, having only tasted defeat once in their last 17 Tests. They are unbeaten at home since 2012 and their attack boasts the world’s No. 1 Test bower, Ravi Ashwin, who has taken wickets at an average of 14.22 runs apiece in home Tests over the last two years.
Still, there’s a sense of destiny that accompanies Hameed’s Test debut and his first foray into first-class cricket outside of England. Wednesday’s Test will take place at Rajkot, the capital of the state of Gujarat where Hameed’s father was raised and the same state that hosted his brother’s wedding a week ago.
“I guess a lot of things are meant to be,” said Hameed on the eve of the Test.
“The fact it is against India in the home state of my parents, the way it has fallen into place, is amazing. I was asked if I wanted to go (to the wedding) but my family said it was better to stay with the team. They are from a small village near Bharuch, but my dad’s village is called Umraj.”
Ahead of the first Test find between England and India, find out everything you need to know in our ultimate guide!
HOW DO I WATCH IT?
You can watch the entire series live and in HD on Fox Sports channel 502. Or stream it at the link below.
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THE FIXTURES
First Test: November 9 to November 13 at Rajkot
Second Test: November 17 to November 21 at Visakhapatnam
Third Test: November 26 to November 30 at Chandigarh
Fourth Test: December 8 to December 12 at Mumbai
Fifth Test: December 16 to December 20 at Chennai
THE DRS
Having endured a controversial week in Australia, the Decision Review System will be put through the wringer in India.
India’s cricket board (BCCI) has agreed to trial the system in this month’s series. The BCCI remains one of the sport’s most powerful cricketing bodies and the only national organisation that has opposed the system, largely due to their scepticism over ball-tracking.
A number of modifications have been made to DRS for this series to placate the BCCI, with ultra-slow motion cameras and extra cameras to be used to assist HawkEye.
A successful series for DRS could see India finally jump on board in the long-run.
TEAMS
With Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul both injured, Gautam Gambhir is short odds to partner Murali Vijay at the top of India’s batting order. The next three batsmen in the XI pick themselves, with Cheteshwar Pujara, captain Virat Kohli and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane all lock-ins.
Things get trickier from there, with the make-up of India’s bottom six unclear. Spinners Ravi Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja, wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and quick Mohammed Shami are all near-certainties to play, but just who takes the final two positions remains a mystery.
If India chooses to play a third spinner in Amit Mishra, seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya could be handed a Test debut and share the new ball with Shami, in which case specialist batsman Karun Nair would miss out.
Alternatively, India could opt to play five specialist bowlers, pushing Ashwin up to No.6, leaving room for both Mishra and one of Ishant Sharma of Umesh Yadav in the XI.
India (probable): Gautam Gambhir, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravi Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma
With Hameed already locked in to open the batting, Ben Duckett will slide down to No.4 at the expense of the axed Gary Ballance and the overlooked Jos Buttler.
England (probable): Alastair Cook (capt), Haseeb Hameed, Joe Root, Ben Duckett, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Stuart Broad
TALE OF THE TAPE
England is coming off a horror Test series against minnows Bangladesh where the latter beat the former for the first time.
Bangladesh’s historic match victory levelled the series 1-1 and England must beat India on the subcontinent to restore face.
Prior to that dismal showing they drew 2-2 with resurgent Pakistan.
India, on the other hand, has just beaten New Zealand 3-0 at home and prior to that rolled West Indies 2-0 away and South Africa 3-0 at home.
The last time these two powerhouse nations competed for the Pataudi Trophy was in 2014 in England, when the hosts rolled India 3-1 in five matches.
WHAT THEY SAID
“We are coming as massive underdogs, there’s no doubt about that. Obviously India have got to No. 1 in the world and played some brilliant cricket here, so we’re very aware this is a huge challenge. We’ll have to learn very quickly. But also we’ve got nothing to fear, because not many of our side have actually played cricket over here” — England bowler Stuart Broad.
