England Announce Spin-Heavy 16-Man Squad For 5 Tests In India; 3 Uncapped Players Named In Ben Stokes-Led Contingent

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday named a strong 16-man squad for their upcoming Test series in India which will be played early next year.

The squad includes three uncapped players at Test level with Surrey quick Gus Atkinson joined by off-spinners Tom Hartley (Lancashire) and Shoaib Bashir (Somerset).

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 return 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.

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 Test series itinerary:

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