Both sides named unchanged teams from those that drew the first test at Nottingham, with England once again choosing not to select a specialist spinner after Simon Kerrigan was called into the squad for the second match.
England will be looking to take advantage of a green-tinged pitch, a welcome change from the strip used during the first match that came under fierce criticism for its placid nature.
"We think there might be a bit in it for the bowlers early on, with all that grass, so we're pleased to bowl first," Cook said at the toss.
"We looked at our squad but it would have been a tough call to leave anybody out after the way they played at Trent Bridge."
Tensions between the sides remain high following the first test, following accusations England paceman James Anderson "abused and pushed" spinner Ravindra Jadeja.
Both players face International Cricket Council misconduct charges.
"I'm not worried about James Anderson - he wants his cricket to do the talking," Cook added.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he would have chosen to bowl had he called correctly.
"We would have bowled first because the base of the wicket looks soft, which means it will have something in it for the quick bowlers early on. It looks like a good wicket though and the grass will hold it together."
Teams:
England: Alastair Cook (captain), Sam Robson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Matt Prior, Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad, Liam Plunkett, James Anderson.
India: Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Stuart Binny, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami.
(Reporting by Josh Reich, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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