India include four spinners for opening Tests against England, but Shami missing

India has included four spinners in its squad for the first two tests against England but experienced seamer Mohammed Shami is not yet fit to take part.

Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav did not travel to South Africa for the recent drawn test series against the Proteas but come back into contention on home pitches that are expected to take plenty of turn.

They join Ravichandran Ashwin and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in a 16-man party that will contest the opening games of the five-match series in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam.

Ashwin needs just 10 more wickets to become the ninth bowler to take 500 career wickets in tests. The 95-test offspinner currently sits in second place in wickets taken for India behind Anil Kumble (619).

When England last toured India in 2021 when it crumbled in the face of extreme turn as Ashwin and Patel combined to take 60 wickets.

Uncapped wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel was one of three glovemen named Friday by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, joining KL Rahul and KS Bharat, with Ishan Kishan still out after missing the recent South Africa tour for personal reasons.

Shami is currently recovering from an ankle problem and hopes to feature later in the five-match series, which begins in Hyderabad on Jan. 25, while fellow pace bowler Prasidh Krishna (quad) is also out.

Venues: Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi & Dharamsala