England have chosen to go down the route of naming a lone spinner for the first Test against India when they play Edgbaston on Wednesday, with Adil Rashid in line to start.
The Yorkshire all-rounder’s selection for the Test squad has divided opinion after his decision before the season to restrict himself from playing in the County Championship.
But the form which saw him claim eight wickets during England’s five ODI matches earlier in India’s tour has seen him included. Test your betting form and reap the results with the best bookies for cricket betting ready for England’s five-match series against England this summer.
Rashid’s inclusion means there is no place for fellow spin all-rounder Moeen Ali, while Sam Curran is preferred to Essex seamer Jamie Porter.
England captain Joe Root will continue to bat up the order at three in a role he is still getting accustomed to. While Buttler, who like Rashid was out of the Test side at the start of the summer, has been named as England’s vice-captain.
The Lancashire wicketkeeper now acts as deputy to Test captain Root and one-day skipper Eoin Morgan.
The match at Edgbaston will be the 1,000th in England’s history a full 141 years after their first against Australia in Melbourne in 1877.
England squad to play India in the first Test at Egbaston:
Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Joe Root (Capt), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson
