England hand debut to teenager for India Test

Teenager Haseeb Hameed will open the batting alongside captain Alastair Cook when England open their five-Test series against India at Rajkot tomorrow.

Hameed 19, will become the sixth teenager to play Test cricket for England, but will be the youngest ever to open the batting on debut. 

He will also become Cook's 10th opening partner since the retirement of Andrew Strauss - now the England and Wales Cricket Board's Director of Cricket - four years ago.

Quick Single: Captain Cook hints he's nearing the end

Ben Duckett, who partnered Cook during the recent 1-1 series draw against Bangladesh, is set to drop down to No 4 to make way for the young Lancashire batsman.

"It's a very exciting day for a young guy who's impressed everyone so far on this trip," Cook told reporters on the eve of the first Test.

"You often wonder whether a 19-year-old coming on tour will be overawed, but he hasn't been at all.

"Talking to (Lancashire coach) Ashley Giles and the selectors and people who are a very good judge of a player, it's probably come a year earlier than he'd have thought, but that's just the way he's developed quickly.

"He's one of those natural run-scorers. He should be very proud."

Gary Ballance, who scored 1, 9, 9 and 5 in the middle order against Bangladesh, has been dropped. 

Haseeb will be England's youngest debutant – at 19 years 297 days – since the late Ben Hollioake appeared against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1997, who was 19 years 269 days. Only five other teenagers have played Test cricket for England and none younger have opened the batting.

"He's incredibly unflappable," said Cook. "He looks a very good player of spin – he picks length very well and uses the crease well, both forward and back.

"Stuart Broad bowled at him last summer and was almost straight on the phone to me saying how impressed he was with this guy. A lot of people have said he looks like he can handle it.

"To average 50 in Division One (of the County Championship) as a 19-year-old is an incredible feat.

"I remember how hard it was and I was nowhere near the player he was at 19. It's really exciting.

"Of course there are going to be some tough moments for him over the next few years of playing Test cricket, but this guy can play."

Duckett scored a battling 56 in the second innings of England's Test defeat in Dhaka, following scores of 14, 15 and 7 in his only three previous Test innings, will be in unfamiliar territory in the middle order. He also opens for his county side Northamptonshire.

Quick Single: England face trial by spin

Cook would not be drawn on any further details of the make-up of his XI, with a dry and cracked Rajkot surface keeping the tourists guessing. 

England squad: Alastair Cook, Moeen Ali, Zafar Ansari, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Gary Ballance, Gareth Batty, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Ben Duckett, Steven Finn, Haseeb Hameed, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes.