Yuvraj Singh [ Images ] will play his first Test in eight months after the dashing middle order batsman was on Wednesday included in India's [ Images ] playing XI for the first cricket Test against England [ Images ].

Yuvraj replaces Sourav Ganguly [ Images ] in the team who has retired from international cricket after the recent Test series against Australia [ Images ]. That is the only change from the team that had played the last Test against Australia in Nagpur.

Yuvraj, who had played his last Test against South Africa [ Images ] at Kanpur in April, has been in sizzling form with two centuries in the recent ODI series against England before it was called off following the terror attacks in Mumbai [ Images ].

Tamil Nadu batsmen S Badrinath and Murali Vijay [ Images ], paceman Munaf Patel [ Images ] and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha [ Images ], who are part of the 15-member squad, have been left out for the first Test beginning at the M A Chidambaram stadium on Thursday. 

Yuvraj's inclusion means that the home team will go into the game with seven batsmen and four specialist bowlers. 

While the in-form Zaheer Khan [ Images ] and Ishant Sharma [ Images ] will spearhead the pace attack, Harbhajan Singh [ Images ] and leg spinner Amit Mishra [ Images ], who has come into the team after the retirement of former captain and ace spinner Anil Kumble [ Images ], will shoulder the spin bowling responsibility.

The team: Mahendra Singh Dhoni [ Images ] (capt), Virender Sehwag [ Images ], Gautam Gambhir [ Images ], Rahul Dravid [ Images ], Sachin Tendulkar [ Images ], VVS Laxman [ Images ], Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma.