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Hello and welcome to live, over-by-over coverage of the first Test between India and England in Hyderabad. Look, we probably use this phrase too often, certainly for a relatively niche cultural reference that is almost 23 years old. But I promise you: this really is the real quiz.
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India away is the toughest challenge in Test cricket. They haven’t even drawn a series at home since England won here 11 years ago, and in that time they’ve lost only three Tests out of 46. They’ve won 36 of them.
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It’s hard enough to beat India in a two-Test series, never mind five. But England’s young bold soldiers have arrived with a smile on their face and a Sinatra song in their heart. For the first time in living memory, they will enter a Test match with no bowlers whose stock ball is between 60-90 mph. They’re certainly not going to die wondering.
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The match starts at 4am GMT, 9.30 in Hyderabad. Good luck everyone.
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important events
The match will be played on Carl Showalter's pitch.: That's a bit interesting. There are very dry areas at each end and a bit of grass in the middle. In other words, spin will probably be applied from the first pitch.
England win in toss and bat
Buckle up, Buttercup.
Tom Hartley will make his England debut today. Shoaib Basheer might have joined him too, but it was for a demoralizing match of stupid bugs. He will be available for at least his second Test.
So what do we do on the weekend?
Early pitch appearance.2 hours before play #Hyderabad pic.twitter.com/wpdC1hB5Ir
— Mike Atherton (@Athersmike) January 25, 2024
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preamble
Hello. We are providing live coverage of the first Test between India and England in Hyderabad. Look, we probably use this phrase too often. Indeed, to reference a relatively niche culture from almost 23 years ago. But I promise you: this is a really real quiz.
India away will be the toughest challenge in Test cricket. They have not even drawn a series at home since England won here 11 years ago, but have lost just three of their 46 Test matches in that time. They have won 36 of those games.
Beating India in a two-Test series, let alone a five-Test series, is difficult enough. But England's brave young soldiers arrived with smiles on their faces and Sinatra songs in their hearts. For the first time in recent memory, they will be playing a Test match without a bowler whose stock ball is 60-90mph. They will never die wondering.
The match starts at 4am GMT9.30am, Hyderabad. Good luck everyone.
