IND vs ENG: Joe Root and co. land in Chennai for upcoming Test series against India

England players arrive in Chennai for upcoming Test series against India. (Twitter/ANI)

Two days after completing a whitewash over Sri Lanka in the two-match Test series, the  England cricket team and staff arrived in Chennai on Wednesday for the upcoming series against India.  

Joe Root and his men will follow a mandatory six-day quarantine period as per Covid-19 protocol, before the party begin to start training. The first match of the series will be played on February 5-9 and the second encounter, which starts from February 13, will also be played at the same venue. 

 Chennai, India@root66 and the team have arrived in India ahead of our four-match Test series  pic.twitter.com/GT06p9Ru4u — England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 27, 2021

England all-rounder Ben Stokes, Rory Burns, and Jofra Archer had earlier arrived in Chennai on Monday and the trio are already undergoing the quarantine period. Stokes arrived in India with the other members of the squad who were not a part of the Sri Lanka series.  

Following their win in Sri Lanka, England will look to maintain a similar tempo going into the contest. Skipper Root was the standout performer for England with the bat and he was awarded the Man of the Series for his supreme batting display.

Tamil Nadu: England Cricket team and staff arrive at Chennai Airport. The first Test of the four-match series between India and England will begin on 5th February at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/NpWLJPIcnn

— ANI (@ANI) January 27, 2021

The practice for the full squad will commence for the first time on Tuesday -- February 2.

Meanwhile, Jonny Bairstow has been left out of the 16-man England squad for the first two Tests, while openers Zack Crawley and Dom Sibley are part of that squad.

The national selectors have rested Bairstow, Sam Curran, and Mark Wood for the first and second Tests in India.

Under the leadership of Joe Root, England will be looking to show a spirited performance to bolster their chances of making it to the finals of the World Test Championship in June.

India and England are set to lock horns in four Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is. After the first two Tests, both teams will move to Ahmedabad for the remaining two Tests and the five T20Is.  

England squad for first two Tests against India: Joe Root (Yorkshire) (captain), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Dom Bess (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Rory Burns (Surrey), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Dom Sibley (Warwickshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Olly Stone (Warwickshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).