1st Test: England win toss, opt to bowl against India, Sudharsan makes debut, Karun returns after eight years

Leeds [UK], June 20 (ANI): England Test captain Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bowl against India in the opening Test of the five-match series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy on Friday at Headingley.
India begins a new era without its batting mainstays Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and frontline off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Shubman Gill is leading the Test side for the first time, and he will look to upset England for the first time since 2002, 23 years ago. The five-match Test tour will last 46 days, and India will be challenged at different levels to secure the first series win in the red-ball format since 2007.
England has transformed into a formidable force under the tutelage of head coach Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes' captaincy. The dynamic duo has not lost a Test series at home since McCullum took over the managerial duties in 2022.
In the tourists' camp, Sai Sudharsan has become India's Test cap number 317. The towering 23-year-old southpaw received his maiden Test cap from India stalwart Cheteshwar Pujara. Meanwhile, once a forgotten star, Karun Nair earned a place back on the Indian team for the first time in eight years.
Experienced all-rounder Shardul Thakur has been preferred over young Nitish Kumar Reddy and will act as the fourth pace bowling option. The troika of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna will spearhead the pace attack. The sole spinner in the team is Ravindra Jadeja, who will also offer batting depth.
After winning the toss, England captain Ben Stokes said, "We'll bowl. Headingley is a very good cricket wicket. We've had some really good games here. Want to try to use the early conditions. Been a long time coming, but it's a bit strange that this is just the second series, but we're ready. It's been mixed, some lads have played county cricket, we've had three days of really good cricket. Usual suspects in the top seven, Woakes, Brydon and the rest."
India Test captain Shubman Gill said during the time of the toss, "Would've bowled first as well, might be a bit tough in the first session, but it should be good to bat on later. The sun is out, so it should be a good batting deck for us. Preparation has been amazing, we played a practice game in Beckenham, and the lads are feeling great. Sai makes his debut, and Karun comes in. Sai will bat at three."
England Playing XI for the 1st Test against India: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna. (ANI)