1st Test, Preview: Kohli Returns To Lead India Against Buoyant England

New dad Virat Kohli will return to lead India against England in the first Test of the four-match series beginning Friday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium after his deputy Ajinkya Rahane proved his leade

"See, my job is to take a back-seat and help Virat. There are too many things on a captain's mind, so as a vice-captain you have to visualize a situation, think about what can happen in the game, and then if captain asks you for suggestions then you should be ready," said Rahane on returning to vice-captain's role.

India though will start favorites on a Chennai wicket that is expected to help the spinners sooner or later.

Smarter from the 4-0 series defeat last time, England will start this series on a confident note having beaten Sri Lanka 2-0 in the preceding Test series.

Both batting coach Graham Thorpe and consultant Jonathan Trott had earlier said that England's plan would be to score big in the first innings and take control of the game.

India, missing the services of ace all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and speedsters Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav -- all of whom are match-winners at home -- will rely on pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to lead the bowling attack.

This will also be the first time in over a year that Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be playing together.