IND vs ENG: England Name 16-man Squad for Test Series Against India, 3 Uncapped Players Picked

The England and Wales Cricket Board has announced the 16-man squad for the five-match Test series against India on Monday. The England Men’s selection panel decided to include three uncapped players in the red-ball format with Surrey quick Gus Atkinson joined by off-spinners Tom Hartley (Lancashire) and Shoaib Bashir (Somerset). The five-match series will start in January next year with the opening match scheduled to be held at Hyderabad.

Fast bowler Atkinson and left-arm spinner Hartley have represented England in white-ball cricket but are yet to play at Test level.

Ben Stokes, who recently pulled out of the next season of the Indian Premier League, will lead the English team in the crucial series which is part of the World Test Championship cycle. Veteran paceman James Anderson also got picked in the squad as he will once again lead the pacing unit.

Young Atkinson, was selected after his impressive show in five County Championship matches last summer, where he claimed 20 wickets at an average of 20.20 as Surrey claimed back-to-back titles.

Hartley and Bashir were both part of the England Lions squad that trained in the United Arab Emirates last month. They were joined in the UAE by vice-captain Ollie Pope and Jack Leach to step up their preparations as they returned to Test duty following injury.

Leicestershire’s teenage leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed returns to the Test squad after claiming a five-wicket haul on his Test debut in Pakistan last December.

Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes is also selected after being left out of England’s Ashes squad, but there is no place for Chris Woakes — player of the series in the 2-2 draw with Australia.

England Test Squad

Ben Stokes (Durham – captain), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Tom Hartley (Lancashire), Jack Leach (Somerset), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Mark Wood (Durham)

India vs England Schedule

1st Test: India v England, 25-29 January, Hyderabad

2nd Test: India v England, 2-6 February, Vizag

3rd Test: India v England, 15-19 February, Rajkot

4th Test: India v England, 23-27 February, Ranchi

5th Test: India v England, 7-11 March, Dharamsala