England squad for first Test

Joe Root (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.

England Test Squad - 1st Test / Players

• 

  Joe RootCaptain

  Age: 27 years 208 daysPlaying role: Top-order batsmanBatting: Right-hand batBowling: Right-arm offbreak
• 

  Moeen Ali

  Age: 31 years 38 daysPlaying role: Batting allrounderBatting: Left-hand batBowling: Right-arm offbreak
• 

  James Anderson

  Age: 35 years 361 daysPlaying role: BowlerBatting: Left-hand batBowling: Right-arm fast-medium
• 

  Jonny BairstowWicketkeeper

  Age: 28 years 303 daysPlaying role: Middle-order batsmanBatting: Right-hand batBowling: Right-arm medium
• 

  Stuart Broad

  Age: 32 years 32 daysPlaying role: BowlerBatting: Left-hand batBowling: Right-arm fast-medium
• 

  Jos ButtlerWicketkeeper

  Age: 27 years 321 daysPlaying role: Wicketkeeper batsmanBatting: Right-hand bat
• 

  Alastair Cook

  Age: 33 years 213 daysPlaying role: Opening batsmanBatting: Left-hand batBowling: Right-arm slow
• 

  Sam Curran

  Age: 20 years 53 daysPlaying role: AllrounderBatting: Left-hand batBowling: Left-arm medium-fast
• 

  Keaton Jennings

  Age: 26 years 37 daysPlaying role: Opening batsmanBatting: Left-hand batBowling: Right-arm medium-fast
• 

  Dawid Malan

  Age: 30 years 326 daysPlaying role: Top-order batsmanBatting: Left-hand batBowling: Legbreak
• 

  Jamie Porter

  Age: 25 years 62 daysBatting: Right-hand batBowling: Right-arm medium-fast
• 

  Adil Rashid

  Age: 30 years 159 daysPlaying role: BowlerBatting: Right-hand batBowling: Legbreak
• 

  Ben Stokes

  Age: 27 years 52 daysPlaying role: AllrounderBatting: Left-hand batBowling: Right-arm fast-medium

India Test Squad - 1st Test / Players

INDIA TEST SQUAD FOR FIRST THREE TEST MATCHES

• 

  Virat KohliCaptain

  Age: 29 years 255 daysPlaying role: Top-order batsmanBatting: Right-hand batBowling: Right-arm medium
• 

  Ravichandran Ashwin

  Age: 31 years 304 daysPlaying role: Bowling allrounderBatting: Right-hand batBowling: Right-arm offbreak
• 

  Jasprit Bumrah

  Age: 24 years 224 daysPlaying role: BowlerBatting: Right-hand batBowling: Right-arm fast-medium
• 

  Shikhar Dhawan

  Age: 32 years 225 daysPlaying role: Opening batsmanBatting: Left-hand batBowling: Right-arm offbreak
• 

  Ravindra Jadeja

  Age: 29 years 224 daysPlaying role: AllrounderBatting: Left-hand batBowling: Slow left-arm orthodox
• 

  Dinesh KarthikWicketkeeper

  Age: 33 years 47 daysPlaying role: Wicketkeeper batsmanBatting: Right-hand bat
• 

  Kuldeep Yadav

  Age: 23 years 216 daysPlaying role: BowlerBatting: Left-hand batBowling: Slow left-arm chinaman
• 

  Mohammed Shami

  Age: 27 years 318 daysPlaying role: BowlerBatting: Right-hand batBowling: Right-arm fast-medium
• 

  Karun Nair

  Age: 26 years 224 daysPlaying role: Top-order batsmanBatting: Right-hand batBowling: Right-arm offbreak
• 

  Hardik Pandya

  Age: 24 years 280 daysPlaying role: AllrounderBatting: Right-hand batBowling: Right-arm medium-fast
• 

  Rishabh PantWicketkeeper

  Age: 20 years 287 daysPlaying role: Wicketkeeper batsmanBatting: Left-hand bat
• 

  Cheteshwar Pujara

  Age: 30 years 174 daysPlaying role: Top-order batsmanBatting: Right-hand batBowling: Legbreak
• 

  Ajinkya Rahane

  Age: 30 years 42 daysPlaying role: Top-order batsmanBatting: Right-hand batBowling: Right-arm medium
• 

  Lokesh Rahul

  Age: 26 years 91 daysPlaying role: Opening batsmanBatting: Right-hand bat
• 

  Ishant Sharma

  Age: 29 years 319 daysPlaying role: BowlerBatting: Right-hand batBowling: Right-arm fast-medium
• 

  Shardul Thakur

  Age: 26 years 275 daysPlaying role: BowlerBatting: Right-hand batBowling: Right-arm medium
• 

  Murali Vijay

  Age: 34 years 108 daysPlaying role: Opening batsmanBatting: Right-hand batBowling: Right-arm offbreak
• 

  Umesh Yadav

  Age: 30 years 266 daysPlaying role: BowlerBatting: Right-hand batBowling: Right-arm fast-medium

• England v India Test series fixtures

  1-5 August 1st Test, Edgbaston (11:00 BST)
  9-13 August 2nd Test, Lord's (11:00)
  18-22 August 3rd Test, Trent Bridge (11:00)
  30 August-3 September 4th Test, Southampton (11:00)
  7-11 September 5th Test, The Oval (11:00)

India In Srilanka 2012

Sri Lanka series chance to assess team - Dhoni

India captain MS Dhoni has said that the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka will help his team assess where they stand at the moment.

"It's the start of the season for us," Dhoni said on Wednesday, shortly after India had arrived in Colombo for the five ODIs and one-off Twenty20 against Sri Lanka. "There are certain areas where we've wanted to improve, where we've had a discussion saying these are the areas where we need to improve upon to consistently do well … This is a nice occasion to test how much we have improved and how much further we can actually improve on the field."

India are coming off a month-and-a-half long break and looked keen to get back into action, heading for a practice session at the R Premadasa Stadium soon after checking in to their hotel. "Today we landed over here, and we were on the field close to 4.30 pm," Dhoni said. "The good thing is the energy level is up, which means we can put in a bit more effort in the physical department and do a bit more active sports work."

He said India will not be thinking too much about getting a feel of the conditions ahead the World Twenty20, which will be played in Sri Lanka in September, during this series. "What's important is to be in the present, which means take this series into account not to think too much ahead about the World Twenty20. A good thing is most of the players who are part of this side will also be part of the Twenty20 side. We don't really need to think ahead of time."

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, need to build on their one-day and Test triumphs against Pakistan, according to captain Mahela Jayawardene. "We have just finished a series against Pakistan successfully and what is important is to continue with the good work," Jayawardene said. "We have to work hard to reach the goals we want to attain.

"It's a good opportunity against India. We need to take the team forward. We have brought in a few new players for the one-day side, and we have to think about the World Twenty20 and which of these players will be suitable for that competition."

The series, which begins in Hambantota on Saturday, will not feature the Decision Review System (DRS). Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said this was since India, as has been their stance all through, did not want the system in place. "As per the ICC guidelines, both teams have got to agree in having the DRS," Ranatunga said. "As far as the Indian board is concerned they are not in favour of that. That was a decision taken at ICC level."

Both teams will leave for Hambantota on Thursday.

Arjuna Award will be a great honour, says Yuvraj Singh

BCCI to nominate Dravid for Khel Ratna, Yuvi for Arjuna

Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh hopes to be second time lucky after being nominated for the Arjuna Award.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday recommended names of Yuvraj and batting great Rahul Dravid for Arjuna and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awards respectively.

"It will be an honour if I get the award. I didn't get it last time around so I hope I get it this time," Yuvraj, who has successfully recovered from a rare germ cell caner, told reporters at the launch of his cancer foundation YouWeCan.

Yuvraj was also nominated for the Arjuna Award in 2007 when Dravid was considered for the Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honour.

The BCCI nominated Yuvraj for the prestigious sports award considering his man of the series performance at the 2011 World Cup.

India's squad for the tour of Sri Lanka

Sehwag and Zaheer return, Tendulkar skips SL tour

Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan have returned to the Indian team for the limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka; both were rested for the Asia Cup in March. Sachin Tendulkar, who played in the CB series in 2011-12 and the Asia Cup, will be skipping the tour that includes five ODIs and one T20 game.

"It is a long season ahead and I think we will come back to winning ways. Sachin wants to extend his career," the BCCI's chairman of selectors Kris Srikkanth told reporters. "He is spacing it out very well."

Ravindra Jadeja, the allrounder, has been dropped for the tour after poor returns in the CB series in Australia. He had a mixed IPL, averaging 15.91 with the bat in 19 matches and taking 12 wickets at 22.75. Pragyan Ojha, the left-arm spinner, who wasn't picked for the Asia Cup has made it to the 15-man squad. Ojha picked up nine wickets in nine IPL games, at 24.44. There was no place for seamer Praveen Kumar either; Praveen collected nine wickets in 16 games at 48.22 in the IPL.

Ajinkya Rahane, who last played for India in December 2011, has been named in the squad, following a good IPL in which he finished as the fourth-highest run-getter. He made 560 runs at an average of 40 and also scored a couple of half-centuries in the limited-overs leg of the India A tour of the West Indies last month.

Fast bowler Umesh Yadav, who was rested for the Asia Cup, returned to the squad. Batsman Manoj Tiwary and legspinner Rahul Sharma were retained but the Pathan brothers, Yusuf and Irfan, who played the Asia Cup were left out.

Sehwag missed the Asia Cup due to back spasms and Zaheer, following a full tour of Australia, was also advised rest for that tournament in Bangladesh. Virat Kohli will remain vice-captain for the upcoming tour. "The idea is continuity," Srikkanth said. "Virat got brilliant hundreds after becoming vice-captain which shows that he likes responsibility."

Among the seamers, Ashok Dinda and Vinay Kumar will support Zaheer and they'll be part of a bowling line-up that includes three specialist spinners, Rahul, R Ashwin and Ojha. Harbhajan Singh, who recently signed a deal with Essex for the second half of the county season, was not selected.

India's squad for the tour of Sri Lanka

MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Virat Kohli (vice-capt), Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Manoj Tiwary, R Ashwin, Vinay Kumar, Rahul Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Pragyan Ojha, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav, Ajinkya Rahane
Out: Ravindra Jadeja, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Praveen Kumar
In: Ajinkya Rahane, Pragyan Ojha, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav