Leeds, June 18 -- England on Wednesday announced its playing XI for the opening Test of the five-match series against India, which will kick off on June 20 at Headingley.

For the opening Test, England has retained the majority of the XI they fielded against Zimbabwe during the one-off Test last month. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett will open for England, followed by Ollie Pope at number three.

There were speculations about Crawley or Pope being dropped for young Jacob Bethell, who dazzled on the crease with his rollicking performances in New Zealand last year.

In the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, Crawley and Pope made a bold statement with their swashbuckling performances in the first innings against Zimbabwe. Crawley enchanted the spect...