ENG vs IND 2025: Jamie Overton added to England squad for fifth Test
"These recovery days are going to be pretty important and we might have to make a few decisions to get some fresh legs in. But that won't be decided until we get closer to the last game," Stokes said.
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England have added Jamie Overton to their squad for the fifth Test against India. Overton, who recently featured for Surrey in the County Championship, is the only addition to the squad that played in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, where India battled hard to secure a draw and keep the series alive.
England's bowlers endured a gruelling workload in the fourth Test, delivering 257.1 overs across two innings. Following the match, captain Ben Stokes acknowledged the need for fresh legs, paving the way for Overton’s return.
"If you look at how long we've been out in the field and the overs that we bowled as a bowling unit, everyone is going to be pretty sore and pretty tired going into the last game of the series. There'll be an assessment of everyone, and hopefully we can use these next two or three days' rest period wisely and then have to make a decision,” Stokes was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
"These recovery days are going to be pretty important and we might have to make a few decisions to get some fresh legs in. But that won't be decided until we get closer to the last game," he added.
Very lucky to have got a battery of fast bowlers: Stokes
England have largely stuck with the same bowling attack throughout the first four Tests, with only a few changes along the way. A fit-again Jofra Archer replaced Josh Tongue after the first two matches, while Liam Dawson was brought in at Old Trafford to cover for the injured Shoaib Bashir. Chris Woakes has shouldered the heaviest burden, bowling 167 overs, more than any other player on either side, closely followed by Brydon Carse (155) and Stokes (140). Notably, Archer has only recently returned to the red-ball format after a four-year absence.
Gus Atkinson, who was expected to feature at some point in the series, could now come in for Woakes. He proved his fitness playing for Surrey’s 2nd XI last week following a hamstring injury. Tongue, still England’s second-highest wicket-taker in the series with 11 scalps, also remains a strong contender for selection. Meanwhile, a recall for Overton would mark his first appearance in Test cricket since making his debut in 2022.
England squad for the fifth Test
Ben Stokes (C), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (WK), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
India squad for the fifth Test
Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj, Arshdeep Singh, N Jagadeesan (WK).
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