India v England: England name left-arm spinner Tom Hartley for first Test
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Hartley has played two one-day internationals for England
Tom Hartley will make his Test debut as one of three specialist spinners in the England side for the first Test against India in Hyderabad.
Left-armer Hartley, 24, joins Jack Leach and Rehan Ahmed as the slow bowlers in the XI, with Mark Wood the only fast bowler.
"Looking at past tours, you can see how spin may give us a better opportunity," captain Ben Stokes told BBC Sport.
"We feel having the three out-and-out spinners will give us the best chance."
Stokes had already confirmed that Ben Foakes will return to keep wicket in what will be his first Test since February, while batter Harry Brook is out after leaving the tour for personal reasons.
Lancashire's Hartley has taken 40 wickets in 20 first-class matches and has also played two one-day internationals for England.
In making his Test debut, he will form an unusual England attack on what is a very dry surface.
Leg-spinner Ahmed, 19, has played only one Test, while senior spinner Leach has not played for England since June because of a back injury.
Wood provides high pace as the sole seamer, but has a chequered injury record.
"The decision was on looking at the pitch and thinking who we are going to get more out of," said Stokes, who is not fit to bowl following surgery on his left knee.
"Would we play two seamers, or an extra spinner? It is no disrespect to the seamers we have out. Pitches and conditions might change as the tour goes on, then we might have to look at a different dynamic."
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonathan Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, Jack Leach
The fourth spinner in England's squad, uncapped 20-year-old Shoaib Bashir, has had to travel back to the UK after a delay in receiving his visa.
Bashir, who is of Pakistani origin, is expected to be able to enter India at the weekend.
Stokes said he was "devastated" for the Somerset man, but also dispelled any suggestion that England may have boycotted the Test in protest at the situation.
"When I first found the news out in Abu Dhabi, I did say we shouldn't fly until Bash gets his visa but that was a little bit tongue in cheek," said Stokes.
For England, the beginning of a year which contains 17 Tests is the biggest challenge since Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum took over in the summer of 2022.
England have not lost a series since Stokes and McCullum took charge, but face an India side that are unbeaten in a home Test series since 2012. In that time, India have lost only three of 46 home Tests.
"This team thrives off challenges," said Stokes. "We see this tour as an opportunity to do something teams find very hard to do.
"Even coming here and winning one game is like a tick, just because of how hard it is to play India in India.
"We're not frightened by the beast that India is in India. We'll take everything in our stride. Success is us sticking true to what we are. We know if we play anywhere near our capabilities, we'll make it very hard for India to beat us."
India are without talismanic batter Virat Kohli who has pulled out of the first two Tests in the five-match series for personal reasons. Pace bowler Mohammed Shami is absent through injury.
The hosts are set to field three specialist spinners of their own, with one of Axar Patel or Kuldeep Yadav joining Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin in the XI.
When asked how his side might counter England's aggressive intent, home captain Rohit Sharma said he is "not interested in looking at how the opposition will play".
On his side's long unbeaten home record, Rohit rejected the suggestion that India are unbeatable.
"There is the possibility you can lose. That is what happens in sport," said the opener. "The record we have does not guarantee we will come on top, we still have to play our best cricket.
"England are a very good team, they play their Test cricket well. It is important we stick to our strengths. I wouldn't say we are not beatable, definitely we are. That is how we want to be, to think that if we don't step up we will find ourselves in trouble."