England won the toss in the first Test and they decided to bat first at Trent Bridge on Wednesday (August 4). India skipper Virat Kohli shared the playing eleven which had a few changes from the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Ishant Sharma was excluded from the side and India played Mohammed Siraj in place of him. Even R Ashwin didn't find a place in the eleven which made way for Shardul Thakur.
India's batsman KL Rahul, who scored a hundred in the warm-up match, also got included for the first Test. "There is a bit of a change up top, KL Rahul comes in. Our bowling combination is: Bumrah, Shami, Thakur, Siraj, and Jadeja as the spinner.
"You could call it an accumulation of all the hard work we have put in over the years. The opportunity to win in England and Australia in the same year is rare. To get opportunities in such times to play and play in front of crowds as well, we are grateful," Kohli said in the toss.
Indian cricket fans on social media reacted to the playing eleven. Some of them felt Ishant should have played due to his experience, while a section of fans backed Siraj to do well.
Here are the reactions:
