England vs India: Hosts announce squad for first two Tests
England have announced a 17-member squad for the first two Tests against India. The five-match series is set to start on August 4. Notably, England have recalled pacer Ollie Robinson, who was earlier suspended after his previous racist and sexist tweets were revealed. Robinson made his debut against New Zealand in June and impressed largely. Here are the details.
England's squad for the first two Tests
England squad: Joe Root (Yorkshire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Dom Bess (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Rory Burns (Surrey), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Haseeb Hameed (Nottinghamshire), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Dom Sibley (Warwickshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Mark Wood (Durham).
Silverwood is looking forward to a highly competitive series
England head coach Chris Silverwood is looking forward to the series. "A home Test series against India is one of the most anticipated red-ball series and this promises to be an outstanding five Tests." "India are a quality team who have shown their ability to get results away from home. We are expecting a highly competitive series and have selected our strongest possible squad."
Presenting the key analysis of England's squad
With Woakes and Archer unavailable, Robinson has a good chance to feature in the opening Test. The presence of Stokes and Sam Curran will help England find the right balance. Meanwhile, five players are in contention for three spots. Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hammed, and Jonny Bairstow are the batters in contention for three spots.
Stokes returns for England, Archer ruled out
For England, all-rounder Ben Stokes returns after his finger injury. Wicket-keeper batter Jonny Bairstow is recalled as well. Meanwhile, Chris Woakes is out with a bruised heel and fast bowler Jofra Archer is not ready to return following elbow surgery.
Predicted starting XI for England
Expected England starting XI for the first Test: Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Zak Crawley, Joe Root, Ollie Pope, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach, James Anderson.
