Seam-bowling all-rounder Jamie Overton returned to the red-ball lineup after Surrey teammate Gus Atkinson was unable to play due to a right hamstring injury he acquired during the one-time Test match against Zimbabwe last month.
For the opening Test of the five-match series against India, which kicks off on June 20 at Headingley, Leeds, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) selected a 14-man squad.
An ECB statement stated that Gus Atkinson of Surrey was unable to be selected because of a right hamstring strain he suffered during the most recent Test match against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge.
Jamie Overton has only played in one Test match for England.
He played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the just finished Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. In addition, this game versus New Zealand was played in Leeds in June 2022.
During the first ODI against the West Indies on May 29, Overton, 31, shattered a finger on his right hand. Since then, though, the England medical staff has been evaluating his injury. In addition to Jamie Overton, the Three Lions have pacers Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse, and Chris Woakes.
The England team will be captained by Ben Stokes. Jamie Smith will put on the wicketkeeping gloves in the interim. The top three will be Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett, and Zak Crawley, who all scored hundreds against Zimbabwe. The three pacers fielded in the match against the African country were Cook, Tongue, and Atkinson.
James Rew and Matthew Potts have lost their spots on the squad. After missing the four-day Test, Jacob Bethell rejoins the team. The only frontline spinner is Shoaib Bashir, who won Player of the Match against Zimbabwe.
England’s team for the first Test match against India
Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Cook (Essex), and Ben Stokes (Durham) – Captain