England have announced their squad for the opening Test of the five-match series against India, with pacer Jamie Overton earning a surprise recall after nearly three years. Overton, who made his only Test appearance at Headingley in 2022 against New Zealand, returns as seam-bowling cover following a hamstring injury to Gus Atkinson.
Overton’s inclusion comes despite a limited run of red-ball cricket due to injuries and IPL commitments. He recently recovered from a broken finger sustained during an ODI against West Indies and has only featured in three County Championship matches since the start of the 2023 season.
Also returning is Jacob Bethell, who missed the Zimbabwe Test due to IPL duty. His presence creates a selection dilemma at the top, with Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope also in contention after scoring centuries against Zimbabwe.
Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse are back in the squad after missing the previous match with minor injuries, while Josh Tongue—who sat out the 2024 season—joins the group and is set to feature for the England Lions against India A as part of his match fitness buildup.
Sam Cook, retained after his debut in the Zimbabwe series, may start as a backup option given Woakes’ recovery. England will be without Mark Wood, Olly Stone, and Jofra Archer for the first Test due to injuries.
The Test series begins at Headingley on June 20 and will be followed by matches at Edgbaston, Lord’s, Old Trafford, and The Oval. India, led by newly appointed captain Shubman Gill, are seeking their first Test series win in England since 2007 and have already sent part of their squad to play against the Lions.
England squad for 1st Test vs India:
Ben Stokes (c), Joe Root, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Josh Tongue, Zak Crawley, Jamie Smith (wk), Sam Cook, Ollie Pope, Jamie Overton, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Chris Woakes.
