Kohli's India Face England With Lord's Test Final At Stake

New dad Virat Kohli returns to captain a buoyant India against England as they aim to build on their crushing win over Australia by sealing a place in the World Test Championship final. Kohli, who wel

Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant were among the new stars unearthed by India as they clinched the series by handing Australia their first defeat at Brisbane's Gabba ground since 1988.

Paceman Mohammed Shami and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja will miss the first two Tests due to injuries, but England is keenly aware of the strength and variety of India's attack.

"The one thing about the Indian bowling attack is that it's not just about spin. Their seam attack is also strong. We can't be sidetracked completely and focus just on the spin side of things." England's assistant coach Graham Thorpe said.

Jasprit Bumrah will lead the pace attack that also includes Siraj, Ishant Sharma, and Shardul Thakur. Spinners Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel will also be key on the Indian pitches.

England has come equipped with their spin options in Jack Leach, Dom Bess, and Moeen Ali, who has recovered from the Covid infection that kept him out of the Sri Lanka series. They also have three reserve spinners in Mason Crane, Matthew Parkinson, and Amar Virdi.

Root, who hit match-winning scores of 228 and 186 in the first and second Sri Lanka Tests, will complete a century of Tests in the first game.