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The second cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-2023 kicks off on Wednesday, August 4 with the Indian cricket team taking on England in the first of five Tests at Nottingham, Trent Bridge. Virat Kohli and his men will look to start afresh after their WTC final loss to New Zealand in June. 

England have named a strong squad for the first two Tests with Ollie Robinson and Haseeb Hameed making a comeback to the national side. However, the hosts will miss the services of star all-rounder Ben Stokes who opted out of the series to prioritize his mental health.

The Indian cricket team will look to end their barren run on English soil after last winning a Test series back in 2007. India will be determined to get past the home side and clinch a memorable series win.

The likes of Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara,  Hanuma Vihari, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj had some good match practice against a County Select XI in a practice match a few days ago and they along with Kohli and Co. will be eager to carry some of that momentum into the opening Test. 

A first glance at the surface at Trent Bridge indicates a green top will be on offer likely to assist swing and seam. However with a day left, it will be interesting to see the playing combination for both teams. 

England vs India first Test squads 

England squad: Joe Root (c), Rory Burns, Craig Overton, Dominic Sibley, Jos Buttler, Mark Wood, Sam Curran, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson.

India squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha, Abhimanyu Easwaran

Standby players: Prasidh Krishna, Arzan Nagwaswalla 

Where to watch the England vs India first Test live in India?

Live telecast for England vs India, first Test will be available on Sony Six and Sony Six HD from 3.30 pm IST.

Live streaming for England vs India, first Test in India will be available on the SonyLiv website and app at 3.30 pm IST.

Featured photo : Sajjad Hussain / AFP

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