New Delhi: As India ready themselves to take on England in the five-match Test series starting on June 20, there will be a certain reassurance in knowing that while Shubman Gill-led India is undergoing a transition, England too have several challenges to overcome.
With several returnees and the rest missing due to injuries, England too seem to be testing the waters based on their announcement of a 14-player squad for the first Test match at Headingley.
In what was a rather surprising call-up, bowling all-rounder Jamie Overton, will return to the red-ball setup for the first time since earning his sole cap against New Zealand at Headingley in June 2022. The 31-year-old sustained a broken little finger in the right hand during the ODI against the West Indies last week but continues to be assessed and reviewed daily by the England medical team.
Oveton’s call-up can be attributed to England’s growing list of injury concerns in their pace potential. Gus Atkinson was another absentee in the squad as he remained unavailable for selection due to the right hamstring injury sustained during the recent Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge. Atkinson’s absence will particularly sting as he has been a consistent red-ball threat with the red-ball 55 wickets in his first 12 matches.
Additionally, they are missing out on experience with Mark Wood and Olly Stone both out of the series with knee injuries and Jofra Archer unlikely to attain match fitness until the second Test at the earliest after a thumb issue. Seamer Brydon Carse, who has played five Tests and picked up 27 wickets, has been included in the squad. Chris Woakes is their most-capped seamer, having played 57 Tests and picked up 181 wickets. Carse and Woakes last featured during England’s Test tour of New Zealand in December. There could also be a direct fight for the same spot between Woakes and Josh Tongue and it will be interesting to see if Woakes’ experience will be prioritised over Tongue’s form.
On the batting front, Jacob Bethell’s inclusion is a significant one. He missed the Zimbabwe Test due to IPL duties but finding a place for him in the Playing XI will give England a headache. Bethell, who has the backing of captain Ben Stokes, scored three half-centuries at No. 3 on his debut series in New Zealand but Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope – his immediate competition – both scored centuries against Zimbabwe.
Jamie Smith, who was set to get a break before the India series will now have to step in for Phil Salt, who is on a paternity leave for the West Indies T20Is.
However, their batting line-up will look to largely harness the experience of the in-form Joe Root and Ben Duckett. Harry Brook, who scored 58 against Zimbabwe, will be hoping to do more against India.
Both the squads have changed significantly since England’s 1-4 series defeat in India 18 months ago.
Shubman Gill will take over India’s Test captaincy for the first time as he leads a squad without the towering presence of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin.
England, meanwhile, will be without James Anderson, who retired shortly after that tour, while having moved on from Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes and Ollie Robinson.
Squad: Ben Stokes (C), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (WK), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.