Tom Hartley will make his Test debut when the five-match series in India starts tomorrow, with England naming three specialist spinners in their side.
The left-armer will join Jack Leach and teenager Rehan Ahmed in the attack, with Mark Wood named as the sole seamer and Joe Root expected to play a significant role with the ball.
England had arrived on the tour expecting to play an even split of two seamers and two spinners but a dry surface in Hyderabad has prompted a rethink.
Lancashire spinner Hartley, who made his ODI debut against Ireland in September, had been identified as a contender for this tour a long way out after impressing on Lions camps and drawing comparison among the England hierarchy to India’s Axar Patel.
Ahmed will win his second Test cap after taking five-for on debut in Pakistan at the end of 2022, while Leach returns for the first time since suffering the stress fracture that ruled him out of last summer’s Ashes.
With Shoaib Bashir still in the UK awaiting clearance to travel because of delays in the visa process, England have selected every spinner at their disposal.
Playing Wood as the sole seamer is a gamble given the quick’s injury record, but captain Ben Stokes yesterday talked up his Durham teammate’s pace as a potentially vital point of difference.
"If we do choose to go with just the one seamer, you can't deny what Woody possesses as a package," he said. "His express pace and he can get the ball reverse swinging as well ... the skill that he has is obviously something that you want in your team.”
Stokes had already declared himself fit to lead the team after recovering from knee surgery in late November, and confirmed Ben Foakes’s recall.
Foakes was dropped ahead of the home summer to make room for Jonny Bairstow’s return from a broken leg. However, with Harry Brook flying home to the UK for personal reasons, Bairstow has been promoted to play as a specialist batter at No5, with Foakes reclaiming the gloves.
Ollie Pope, fit after dislocating his shoulder during the Second Ashes Test at Lord’s, also returns to the side at No3.
England XI for First Test: Crawley, Duckett, Pope, Root, Bairstow, Stokes, Foakes, Hartley, Ahmed, Wood, Leach
