England announce 14-member squad for 1st Test vs India, star all-rounder returns after 3 years

The England Cricket Team made an exciting announcement on Thursday, June 5th, revealing the squad for their first test in the five-match series against the Indian Cricket Team. The series is set to kick off on June 20th at Headingley in Leeds, wrapping up with the fifth test starting on July 31st at the Kia Oval in London.

Ben Stokes will be leading the England side, and it’s great to see Jamie Overton back in the mix after being away since June 2022. His last appearance was during his debut match against New Zealand at Headingley, which was quite a memorable start for him.

Joining Overton are Brydon Carse, Jacob Bethell, and Chris Woakes, all of whom last played during the away series against New Zealand last December. This trio is expected to play a crucial role in the first test, as they’ve shown some fantastic form recently.

Unfortunately, there’s a setback with fast bowler Gus Atkinson, who has been ruled out of the first game due to a right hamstring injury he picked up during the recent one-off test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge. It’s still unclear whether he’ll be available for the remaining four matches.

The rest of the squad remains largely unchanged from the one that faced Zimbabwe. Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley will open the batting, while Harry Brook, Joe Root, Ollie Pope, and others will take care of the middle order.

Woakes might step in for Sam Cook, who is still in the squad after a rather quiet debut against Zimbabwe. Rising star Bethell is back from his time in the Indian Premier League, where he celebrated a tournament victory with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

The 21-year-old made a strong impression during his debut Test series in New Zealand last November and December, scoring three half-centuries while batting at number three, and he boasts an impressive average of 52.

There were some concerns that vice-captain Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley might feel the pressure from Bethell’s return, but both players managed to score centuries against their opponents.

England squad for first Test against India: Ben Stokes (Captain), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes

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