4th Test: England Win Toss and Bat First; Siraj Replaces Bumrah
Joe Root has won the toss in the fourth Test match against India in Ahmedabad and opted to bat first.
England captain Joe Root has won the toss in the fourth and final Test match against India in Ahmedabad and opted to bat first at the Narendra Modi Stadium. India captain Virat Kohli said he would have opted to bat first if he had won the toss too.
“Quite a no-brainer, we would have batted first as well. Looks a good wicket to bat first. We have a great camaraderie and atmosphere and it's been a great bunch of guys who have well-supported me. We have to be at our best and England have put us under pressure in the past and this series as well,” Kohli said at the toss.
This is Joe Root’s 50th game as captain and Virat Kohli’s 60th match as skipper. India need to avoid defeat in the fourth Test to qualify for the World Test Championship Final.
“We want to make use of the first innings and make the most of it. It will start spinning at some point. We've had ups and downs and there has been progression and improvement - and that's all we ask of this side. Whenever you have a tough couple of games, you need to be honest and open and you have to have trust in your ability,” Root said after winning the toss.
India have made only change with Mohammed Siraj coming in for Jasprit Bumrah while England have made two changes with Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer left out for Dan Lawrence and Dom Bess in the playing XI.
Jasprit Bumrah had been released from the India squad in the build up to the final Test due to personal reasons.
India lead the four-match series 2-1 and are on the cusp of qualifying for the World Test Championship final at Lord’s against New Zealand.
India XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant(w), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj
England XI: Dominic Sibley, Zak Crawley, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root(c), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes(w), Daniel Lawrence, Dominic Bess, Jack Leach, James Anderson
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