England opt to bat first against India

England skipper Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bat against India on Thursday as the visitors look for a consolation win in the fifth Test.

India, led by Rohit Sharma, lost the opener but bounced back to take an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

England batsman Jonny Bairstow has won his 100th cap and India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also reaches a century of Tests at the picturesque Dharamsala stadium, overshadowed by the snowcapped Himalayas.

There have been unseasonal rains leading up to the Test -- and there was a forecast of cold and sleet on day one -- but bright and sunny weather greeted players in the morning.

England named their XI on the eve of the match, making one change from their previous loss -- with Mark Wood replacing fellow quick Ollie Robinson.

Spinner Shoaib Bashir returned to the field after he missed training on Wednesday due to a stomach bug.

Veteran seamer James Anderson, 41, is just two shy of becoming the third bowler to take 700 Test wickets after Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and the late Australian great Shane Warne (708).

India made two changes, with pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah returning to the team after he was rested in the fourth match.

Bumrah comes in place of fellow quick Akash Deep and batsman Devdutt Padikkal has been handed his debut, after Rajat Patidar was injured while training on Wednesday. India last lost a Test series at home in 2012 when Alastair Cook's England beat the hosts 2-1.

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravindra Jadeja, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel(wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.

England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (capt), Ben Foakes (wk), Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson, Shoaib Bashir.

Umpires: Joel Wilson (WIS), Rod Tucker (AUS)

TV Umpire: Kumar Dharmasena (SRI)