England vs India, Test series and tour: Full schedule and fixtures

England face perhaps the stiffest test of their new regime with a five-match series in India, starting on Thursday

England begin a busy year of Test cricket with a five-match series in India, as they aim to continue their ‘Bazball’ revolution in the subcontinent. 
Since Brendon McCullum took over as coach of the Test team in 2022 England are yet to lose a Test series at home or away, winning four and drawing three. Their overall Test win-loss record is 14 victories and six defeats in the same period. 
The last time England toured India, however, they were on the end of a 3-1 hiding. They won the first Test but then lost the next three heavily: by 317 runs, 10 wickets and an innings and 25 runs respectively. Indeed, since their famous 2-1 victory in 2012-13 England have won just one Test out of nine in India, losing seven and drawing the other one. 
The latest news for both sides is not positive: Harry Brook has pulled out of the tour for ‘personal reasons’, although there is some hope that he could return later in the series, and Shoaib Bashir was unable to fly with his team-mates from Abu Dhabi because of a visa hold-up. The Somerset off-spinner should be able to join up with the squad in Hyderabad late on Tuesday, along with Dan Lawrence, who has been called up to deputise for Brook. The batting order is likely to see Jonny Bairstow promoted to No 5, with Ben Foakes coming in as a wicket-keeper.
India’s middle-order has suffered an even greater blow with Monday’s news that Virat Kohli has asked to be stood down from the squad for the first two Tests for private, personal reasons. The Indian board will announce his replacement soon but asked “the media and fans to respect Virat Kohli’s privacy during this time and refrain from speculating on the nature of his personal reasons. The focus should remain on supporting the Indian cricket team as they embark on the upcoming challenges in the Test series.”
All times UK
1st Test: January 25–29, Hyderabad (4am start)2nd Test: February 2–6,  Visakhapatnam (4am start)3rd Test: February 15–19, Rajkot (4am start)4th Test: February 23-27, Ranchi (4am start)5th Test: March 7–11, Dharamsala (4am start)
In the UK, TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) will show the series after reaching an agreement just nine days before the first ball is bowled. The matches are also available to view on discovery+. Commentary will be taken from the world feed, which is likely to feature Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan. 
The live radio coverage will be on Talksport, not BBC Test Match Special. Although the BBC bid for the rights, they were beaten by the commercial broadcaster.
England surprised supporters by announcing Shoaib Bashir, a 20-year-old Somerset off-spinner, as one of three uncapped players in their squad. 
Bashir, who has played just six games of first-class cricket for Somerset, has been picked on potential, probably based on his high action and impressive performances on an England Lions training camp in the UAE. 
In a 16-player touring party the other two men uncapped at Test level are Lancashire left-arm spinner Tom Hartley and Surrey fast bowler Gus Atkinson. Hartley and Atkinson have both played white-ball cricket for the national team. 
Rehan Ahmed, the leg-spinner, is also in the team and there is a fourth spin option in Jack Leach, who is returning from a stress fracture in his back. Liam Dawson and Will Jacks, two other spinners with international experience, have been left out. 
There are four seam-bowling options: James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood and Atkinson. 
Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood, Dan Lawrence.
India are the top-ranked side in Test cricket, after a 1-1 draw in the three-match series against South Africa. The hosts have confirmed their 16-man squad for those first two Test matches.
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), KS Bharat (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan.
Location: HyderabadEstablished: 2003Capacity: 55,000
Location: Visakhapatnam Established: 2003 Capacity: 40,000
Location: Rajkot Established: 2009 Capacity: 28,000
Location: Ranchi Established: 2011Capacity: 50,000
Location: DharamsalaEstablished: 2003Capacity: 23,000
August: Match drawnAugust: India won by 151 runsAugust: England won by an innings and 76 runsSeptember: India won by 157 runsJuly 2022 (match delayed by Covid): England won by seven wickets
February: England won by 227 runsFebruary: India won by 317 runsFebruary: India won by 10 wicketMarch: India won by an innings and 25 runs