India vs England: 'My boy's first flight,' Hardik poses with son Agastya, will join Indian team in Chennai

India's all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who recently became a father, has been doing 'daddy duty' and on Thursday, he took to social media to share a special moment with his son Agastya.

"My boy's first flight," Hardik wrote on social media along with an adorable picture with his son. The all-rounder was on the way to Chennai to join the Indian team for the England series. He last played a Test in 2018 against England in Southampton. In 11 Tests, Hardik has so far scored 532 runs at an average of 31.29 and has picked up 17 wickets.

It is understood that Hardik's inclusion for India's upcoming home series against England is a result of the player working overtime on his fitness after returning from Australia, where he had an impressive run in the limited-overs series. His inability to bowl was a major issue for the team management.

India's morale is currently boosted after their recent win over Australia in the four-match Test series. After a thumping loss in the first Test at the Adelaide Oval, the tourists bounced back to level the series 1-1 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). An all-round effort meant India would draw the New Year's Test in Sydney before their historic victory in the fourth and final Test at the Gabba. India had become the first team in 32 years to hand Australia their first Test loss in their fortress in Brisbane.

On the other hand, England are coming off a clean sweep Test series win over Sri Lanka. Skipper Joe Root was in fine form as he recorded a double-century in the first Test, and then he followed it up with a 186-run knock in the second Test. "Root obviously leads from the front, you have seen that in the Test series against Sri Lanka, it was incredible to see him go about his business. He is a leader by example, in terms of how he captains the team, he is an easy bloke to follow," said England opening batsman Rory Burns about his skipper in a virtual press conference on Thursday.

Speaking of Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, Burns said," Bumrah is quite a hard man to prepare for, isn't he? He is obviously unique in terms of how he comes and bowls. It would just be about working those angles. I saw the recent series between India and Australia and they are in a pretty handy form, not necessarily their first playing XI at different points, but still, they managed to get over the line, it is just going to be a big challenge in their own conditions, looking forward to it."

India and England are set to lock horns in a full-fledged series: four Tests, five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) and three One-Day Internationals (ODIs). The first two Tests will be played in Chennai and the third and fourth Tests will be played at the renovated stadium in Ahmedabad, Motera Stadium. The T20Is will also be played at the same venue in Ahmedabad, while the three ODIs are set to be played in Pune.