Rahul was selected in the playing XI in the place of Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara who was dropped after performing poorly in the practice game.
India went in with lone spinner in Ravichandran Ashwin, supporting a three-pronged pace attack in the first Test against England in Birmingham.
England won the toss and decided to bat against India in the opening Test of the five match series in Birmingham on Wednesday. India included in-form KL Rahul in place of seasoned Cheteshwar Pujara, who is yet to score a fifty this season.
The opener was trolled on social media after bagging a pair in the practice match against Essex.
Ahead of the opening Test starting in Birmingham on Wednesday, he also said that as per the skill-set, both teams are at par.
While former India captain outrightly excluded Dhawan from his playing eleven for the first Test, Sehwag still sees some hope in the left-handed batsman.
Kohli, Vijay, Rahul scored their respective fifties to help India build momentum and it was Dinesh Karthik who leads the way for the visitors after the top order crumbled early on Day 1.
Since that ill-fated tour of England in 2014, Virat Kohli has confirmed his seat among the bests of the modern-day batsmen, and the 29-year-old will be desperate to remove the only thorn on his throne this time around.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly and former opener Virender Sehwag spoke on Kohli's performance in conditions where he failed miserably in 2014 and suggested a few strategies ahead of the team's tough outing.
But the more important fact‚ for South Africans‚ was that Steyn came through 50 overs of bowling in the match.
India's Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara feels he will get his Indian Premier League (IPL) contract in coming year, adding that he is hoping to make a comeback in One Day Internationals for the national side.
After going unsold at the IPL auction, the 29-year-old pacer was signed by Sussex for the first two months of the English County season.
India Test spinner Ravichandran Ashwin slipped one place in the bowlers ranking to take the fifth position with 803 points, while Ravindra Jadeja held on to his second spot in the all-rounders ranking.
After being Ignored for the upcoming IPL, Cheteshwar Pujara will use the free period to hone his skills at Yorkshire for a second county stint.
After being ignored by all the top IPL franchises, the Saurashtra batsman has signed for Yorkshire to play in the upcoming County Championship in England before India's much-awaited England tour in July this year.
Mayank Agarwal continued his record-breaking form in the domestic season as his 79-ball 90 set up the foundation for Karnataka’s 41-run win against Saurashtra in the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Tuesday.
The Test batsman had broken the news on January 1 where he took to his Instagram account to upload a picture with his wife.
According to Pujara, the most beneficial aspect will be playing county cricket at Test venues of India's tour, which will give an idea about pitches and conditions.
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