India vs England to be telecast 'free-to-air' in England for the 1st time since Ashes 2005

Team India, led by Virat Kohli, are set to welcome the Joe Root-led England side for a series of 4 Test matches first up. The India vs England 1st Test 2021 is all set to get underway on Friday, February 5 in Chennai, while the second match will be played at the same venue from February 13-17. While Star Sports will be the official broadcaster of India vs England series in India, fans in England can now turn to Channel 4 to watch the live contest.

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IND VS ENG Live: Channel 4 to telecast series in England

According to a report by The Guardian, Star Sports has accepted a bid from Channel 4 for the live broadcast of the entire series comprising of four Tests, five T20Is and three one‑day internationals. Following the agreement, Test cricket will be broadcast on a free-to-air basis in England for the first time since the 2005 Ashes. Cricket broadcast in England has faced criticism over the years for expensive subscription packages, which has affected viewership as compared to other sports such as football. The last cricket event to be broadcast free-to-air in England was the 2019 ICC World Cup in the country, which the host nation won by beating New Zealand in the final.

As per the report, apart from signing the deal, the channel has also brought roped in England captains Sir Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss to join Channel 4 for the coverage of India series. The report further stated that Star Sports & Channel 4 have entered into a non-exclusive agreement and may allow few other satellite and digital partners in the territory to broadcast the games live in the territory. 

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IND VS ENG Live: Here's a look at India vs England series schedule

Starting with first two Tests in Chennai, the final two Tests will be played at the newly constructed Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad from February 24-28 and March 4-8. According to the India vs England schedule, all five T20Is will be played at the same venue on March 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20. On the other hand, the three ODIs will be played in Pune on March 23, 26 and 28.

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India vs England 1st Test 2021: Here's a look at the squad of both teams

India squad for England Tests 2021: Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (Vice-captain), Rishabh Pant (Wicket-keeper), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul, Hardik, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur.

England squad for India Tests 2021 (first 2 Tests): Joe Root (Captain), Ben Stokes (Vice-captain), Jos Buttler (Wicket-keeper), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, Rory Burns, Zak Crawley, James Anderson, Dom Bess, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Dom Sibley, Jack Leach.

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Image: England Cricket / Twitter