Live: IND Vs ENG | 1st Test - Day 2 | Live Scores and Commentary | 2021 Series

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PREVIEW: India are no strangers to a packed cricket calendar, but in times of bio-bubble, they've had to leave home just days after returning from a five-month sojourn that pushed them to their physical and mental limits.

Even with Virat Kohli's return expected to instantaneously lift energy levels, it's the plausibility of fatigue from a sapping tour followed by such a quick turnaround that England will hope to capitalise on, in their quest to take a swing at India's sheer invincibility at home. Afterall, the hosts haven't lost a home Test series since losing to England in 2012. If that doesn't convey the enormity of the achievement, picture this: Joe Root, on the cusp of playing his 100th Test for England come Friday, made his debut in that series.

While India have fought and protected that record, Root himself has come a long way - and holds the distinction of making a fifty-plus score in each of his six Test appearances in India. But what's even more heartening for the visitors is the fact that the England captain has used the tour of Sri Lanka last month to flip the narrative on one of the biggest bugbears of his game - conversion rate.

Root has often been guilty of failing to consolidate on good starts, which was evident even the last time around in 2016 when he began with a hundred in Rajkot but made subsequent scores of 53, 78, 77 and 88 in the series defeat. Root also went through 19 Tests from January 2019 to December 2020 with only two 100-plus scores, but has amassed as many (186 and 228) in the two games this year in Sri Lanka.

Beside Kohli's return, the prospect of reaching the World Test Championship final at the expense of both Australia and England should give the home side a reason to shrug off any Australian hangover. As it stands, India's qualification scenario involves a fairly gettable target in the advantageous confines of home conditions. But after what they pulled off at the Gabba, battering a long-standing fortress, all bets based on conventional wisdom could be off.

When: India vs England, 1st Test, February 5-9, 9.30 AM IST

Where: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

What to expect: Joy for spinners. As recently as January 2020, a Ranji Trophy fixture between Tamil Nadu and Railways ended inside two days as the latter was bowled out for 76 and 90. Spinners picked 25 of the 30 wickets to fall in the game. The last Test at the venue - in 2016 against England - produced India's highest total (759/7 decl.) there and a Ravindra Jadeja seven-fer in the fourth innings.

Team news

India

India last played Test cricket at home in November 2019 against Bangladesh, when they fielded three quicks and two spinners. But a typical Chepauk surface could yet tempt them to swap that around, and play three spinners in tandem with Jasprit Bumrah and the returning Ishant Sharma. Kuldeep Yadav, who sat out the entire Australia tour, should get in, while there could be a toss-up for the third spinner's spot between Washington Sundar and the uncapped Axar Patel. Sundar impressed at the Gabba, but Lasith Embuldeniya's series haul of 15 in the recently concluded two Tests in Sri Lanka - including a seven-fer in the second Test - could steer the think-tank in left-arm spinner Axar's direction.

Should India stick to two spinners and three quicks, there could be more time on the sidelines for Kuldeep with one of the all-rounders getting picked to fill the void created by Ravindra Jadeja's absence.

The Wriddhiman Saha vs Rishabh Pant debate still doesn't have a clear winner, despite the latter's Gabba heroics. If three spinners do play, Saha's superior glovework could sway the otherwise really tough decision, in his favour.

England

A wrist injury sustained three days ahead of the series opener has ruled Zak Crawley out of the first two Tests, creating line-up issues for the visitors. England now need to figure out who bats at No. 3. An extra batting vacancy will allow them to pick both Ollie Pope and Daniel Lawrence, with the latter a shoo-in to slot in at one-drop.

Having sat out of both Tests against Sri Lanka after contracting coronavirus, a fit-again Moeen Ali is likely to take Dom Bess's spot in the XI.

Teams:
India Squad: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant(w), Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mayank Agarwal, Wriddhiman Saha

England Squad: Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Daniel Lawrence, Joe
Root(c), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler(w), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Chris Woakes, Ben Foakes, Olly Stone, Dominic Bess

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