England have won the toss and have opted to bat
Joe Root – We will bat first. It looks a good surface, there’s some moisture which should burn off, looks good to bat. The preparations have been good, it’s time to deliver now. We are filled with confidence (after the ODI win), but this is a new game. The selectors gave us good options and I am happy with the personnel we have.
England (Playing XI): Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Joe Root(c), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow(w), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
Virat Kohli – We were thinking to bowl first. The conditions are overcast, we want to make the most of it. There’s always excitement and anticipation, it’s a long series and we are well prepared. We are comfortable with our skill-sets. I think we have the bowlers for this pitch, we need to focus on our skills, need to play positively and get the results. Pujara has been left out, KL Rahul will bat at three. Three pace bowlers, Hardik as the all-rounder and Ashwin is the lone spinner.
India (Playing XI): Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma
