England Squad

Jamie Overton has made a surprise return to England’s Test squad, stepping in after Gus Atkinson was ruled out with a hamstring injury for the first Test against India, starting June 20 at Headingley. Despite limited red-ball action recently due to injuries and IPL commitments, Overton has leapfrogged others, including Matthew Potts, in the pecking order.

Overton’s only previous Test appearance came at the same venue in 2022 against New Zealand, where he made headlines with a game-changing 97 and took a wicket in each innings. His recent return from injury including a broken finger sustained in an ODI against West Indies hasn't stopped selectors from backing his ability to make an impact again.

England’s bowling resources are currently stretched thin. Mark Wood and Olly Stone have both been sidelined due to knee injuries and Jofra Archer, although recovering from a thumb issue, is not expected to be match-fit until the second Test. Archer is set to play a County Championship fixture for Sussex against Durham soon in an effort to regain readiness.

Jacob Bethell’s return to the squad following his IPL stint presents a conundrum for England’s top order. The left-hander impressed in his debut series in New Zealand, scoring three fifties at No. 3, which put pressure on established names like Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope. However, both Crawley and Pope responded with centuries against Zimbabwe, potentially holding onto their spots for now.

Chris Woakes is also back in the mix after recovering from an ankle injury, joining Brydon Carse, who missed the Zimbabwe match with minor niggle. Sam Cook, who debuted in that match, remains in the squad but is likely to serve as backup. Josh Tongue, having missed the 2024 season due to injury, has also been included and will feature for England Lions against India A this week to build up match fitness, alongside Woakes.

Matthew Potts appears to be the most unfortunate omission. Despite consistent performances including 36 wickets at an average under 30 in 10 Tests and being named in squads across all formats this summer, he continues to be overlooked. He was even part of the Zimbabwe series squad but did not make the playing XI.

England’s Test outfit looks different from the side that suffered a 4-1 series loss in India 18 months ago. Veterans like James Anderson have since retired, and others such as Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes and Ollie Robinson are no longer considered for selection. India, too, are undergoing a generational shift. With Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and R Ashwin having retired, the team now finds itself under the new leadership of Shubman Gill. The five-Test series begins in Leeds and will then move to Birmingham, London, Manchester and concluding at The Oval.

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