Why are Kuldeep Yadav and James Anderson not playing 1st Test between India vs England 2024?

In a much-anticipated clash between India and England in the opening Test of the five-match series at Hyderabad, skipper Rohit Sharma's selection dilemma saw Axar Patel getting the nod over Kuldeep Yadav, thanks to Patel's dual prowess in both bowling and batting, coupled with his familiarity with the challenging conditions. Additionally, the replacement for Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, found himself on the bench as the somewhat experienced KS Bharat assumed the wicketkeeping responsibilities in the absence of Rishabh Pant as he had done previously.

On the England side, Lancashire's left-arm spinner, Tom Hartley, is set to make his Test debut. The surprise exclusion of James Anderson, the seasoned fast bowler with a stellar record, raised eyebrows as Mark Wood claimed the sole pacer spot in the playing XI. England's decision to reveal their lineup more than 20 hours before the toss added an interesting dynamic to the build-up of the high-stakes encounter in Hyderabad.

What did the captains say at toss?

"We are gonna have a bat. It's typical conditions in India, you are not quite sure what you are going to get. We will try to post a big score on the board. The preparation has been really good. We know the challenge that India presents, not only to us but every team that comes here. They are an incredibly successful side. We have got Hartley making his debut, Rehan is playing his second Test, but they have got a great leader in Jack Leach to lead them. I have got full confidence in everyone. We picked a XI that we thought is going to give us the best chance of winning. Woody is that X-factor bowler," said Stokes.

"We would have batted as well. Looks dry. Whether we bowl or bat first, we have the skills and we got the guys to do the job for us. Hopefully, we can turn out well. A good series, I am playing for the first time - five Test matches. The guys are excited. It'll be challenging but we are up for it. We have played in these conditions before. We know what to expect and what we need to do, it's all about executing your skills, backing yourself and being brave enough to take the opportunity," said Rohit.

"We've got three spinners and two seamers - Bumrah, Siraj, Axar, Ashwin and Jadeja. It was a tough one (to leave out Kuldeep Yadav), we thought a lot about it. Axar, whenever he had played, he has done well and bats really well in these conditions. He got some really good score the last time we played against Australia. Probably the reason we went with Axar," Rohit further added.

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Srikar Bharat(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes(c), Ben Foakes(w), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, Jack Leach