England captain Ben Stokes has kept all his options open for the first match of the five-match Test series against India in Hyderabad. Given the history, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium pitch is expected to help the spinners and with this in mind, Stokes said he would not hesitate to hand the new ball to Joe Root, who is a part-time spinner.

Justifying his statement, the 32-year-old Stokes pointed out that Root has the ability to take the ball away from left-handed batsmen, which will come in handy against Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. However, Stokes said that this decision completely depends on the circumstances of the match.

Joe Root can bowl with the new ball – Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes was quoted as saying by The Independent that,“It would be completely and utterly ‘serious’, as are most of my decisions. You might even see Ruthie getting the new ball, depending on what I feel. If (left-hander) Yashasvi Jaiswal opens the batting, you can see Root opening the bowling because he will take the ball away from him.”

He further said, “When choosing a team it is about what you think will give you the best chance of winning and who will serve you better in certain circumstances. India is one of those places where you have to think more about selection than anywhere else in the world because here you select the team keeping the wicket in mind.

Let us tell you that, England has announced its playing eleven for the first test match against India. Experienced fast bowler James Anderson has been left out of the first match against India. England has given opportunity to maximum spinners for the match to be held in Hyderabad. Tom Hatterley will play his debut match.

England’s playing eleven for the first match:

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, Jack Leach.

Also read: These three will be India’s main spinners in the first test match