India Vs England 1st Test, England bat first in Chennai

England captain Kevin Pietersen won the toss and had no hesitation in electing to bat first in the opening Test against India at the MA Chidambaram Stadium at Chennai.

Pietersen, aiming to be the first England captain to win a Test series in India since David Gower in 1984/85, will look to compile a big first-innings score on a pitch expected to turn more as the match progresses.

As announced on Wednesday, the tourists play two spinners, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann, who makes his Test debut.

Wicketkeeper Matt Prior returns for his first Test in 12 months, since the final match of the three-Test series against Sri Lanka at Galle.

India make two changes, with Gautam Gambhir restored to the top of the order following his one-Test ban. Murali Vijay makes way.

Sourav Ganguly’s retirement opened up a spot in the middle order, which is taken by the in-form Yuvraj Singh.

Both sets of players observed a minute’s silence 10 minutes before the start of play to the victims of the Mumbai terror attacks.

Both sides will also wear black armbands for the match. The England players have pledged to contribute half their match fees to a fund to help those affected by the attacks, a gesture matched by the ECB.