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England vs India, Test series and tour: Next match, full schedule and fixtures
Ben Stokes has offered England a ray of light as they look to salvage their series in India by suggesting that he could bowl in the final two Tests.
Stokes, who has 197 Test wickets, has not bowled in a match since June because of the long-term knee issue which required surgery. While he initially ruled out bowling competitively until the English summer, he has been raising his workload in training and says he hit 100 per cent intensity on the eve of the third Test
“I’m not saying yes, I’m not saying no,” said Stokes after the 434-run defeat in Rajkot. “I have progressed a lot faster than I thought I would. Me being me I’m always very optimistic about most things. That will be a more detailed chat with the medical team about what workload I have done to pass me off as not being a massive risk. I felt like I could have bowled in the game but that would have been stupid.
Stokes has previously been an effective seamer in the subcontinent thanks to his ability to reverse swing the ball and bowl longer spells.
The series resumes in Ranchi on Friday and, after bowling 38 overs each in searing heat, neither James Anderson nor Mark Wood seems especially likely to play, even though the speed of England’s defeat gives them an extra day off.
Seamer Ollie Robinson is poised to come into the side for his first Test in India, while spinner Shoaib Bashir could return to support the tired spin duo of Tom Hartley, 24, and Rehan Ahmed, 19.
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 – India won by 106 runs
3rd Test: February 15–19, Rajkot – India won by 434 runs
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 rest of the series, TNT Sports flew Alastair Cook and Steven Finn to Sweden in order to get up early and provide an on-screen presence. The studio host is 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. Talksport is broadcasting the second leg of England’s tour of India primarily from London with a significantly reduced team on location in Rajkot and Ranchi.
Who is in the England squad?
Stokes’s inability to bowl has seen England struggle to balance their side, with Joe Root carrying the all-rounder’s burden. He has bowled 107 overs, more than any other series in his career, and his batting form has deserted him. Root is yet to reach 30, and is averaging 13.
Asked if Root’s bowling workload was to blame for his poor batting returns, Stokes said: “I think that would be a cop out thing to say. You ask Joe that and he would say ‘absolutely not’. He loves having the responsibility of bowling and influencing the game. He’s influenced so many Test matches with the bat and I always thought he under-bowled himself as a captain, I think he’s a lot better than he gives himself credit for. But by no means do I think him bowling more overs is the reason as to why he’s not getting the runs he would like to.”
England’s squad of 16 features a mix of youth and experience. Veterans like Root and 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. There is no suggestion he will join the tour at any stage and has been replaced in the squad by Dan Lawrence. England also have to make do without Jack Leach for the final three Tests with the spinner failing to recover from the knee injury he picked up fielding on the opening day of the series.
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
Who is in the India squad?
Rohit Sharma (capt), Jasprit Bumrah, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (wk), Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep.
What are the venues and stadiums for the Tests?
Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium/Uppal Stadium
Location: Hyderabad
Established: 2003
Capacity: 55,000
Dr YS Rajashekar Reddy ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium
Location: Visakhapatnam
Established: 2003
Capacity: 40,000
Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium/Khandheri Cricket Stadium
Location: Rajkot
Established: 2009
Capacity: 28,000
Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium
Location: Ranchi
Established: 2011
Capacity: 50,000
Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium
Location: Dharamsala
Established: 2003
Capacity: 23,000
What are the most recent Test results between the two teams?
India in England (2021)
August: Match drawn
August: India won by 151 runs
August: England won by an innings and 76 runs
September: India won by 157 runs
July 2022 (match delayed by Covid): England won by seven wickets
England in India (2021)
February: England won by 227 runs
February: India won by 317 runs
February: India won by 10 wicket
March: India won by an innings and 25 runs
