England announce 16-member squad for five Tests against India, Gus Atkinson earns maiden call up in whites

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced 16-member squad for the five-match Test series against India on Monday, 11 December. The series, which will be part of the World Test Championship Cycle (2023-25), will begin from January 25 with the first scheduled to be held in Hyderabad. Captain Ben Stokes will be seen returning to action on the pitch after a successful knee surgery post ODI World Cup 2023.

The pace-attack will be once again led by legendary James Anderson with Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood supporting him. The 25-year-old Gus Atkinson has earned his maiden Test call up as England hope to fill the massive shoes left behind by Stuart Broad who announced his retirement after Ashes 2023.

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Notably, Atkinson had a brilliant run in the County Championship 2023 as he helped Surrey win back-to-back titles by picking 20 wickets in just five matches at an average of 20.20 with one fifer to his name. Apart from Atkinson, off-spinners Tom Bartley and Shoaib Bashir have also earned maiden Test call-ups as Moeen Ali’s return to Tests was only limited to the Ashes 2023.

The spin-duo will be seen working in tandem with experienced campaigner Jack Leach and Rehan Ahmed, who’s also marked his return to the team after being ignored for the Ashes. The wrist-spinner picked up a five-wicket haul on his debut against Pakistan in Karachi in December 2022.

Both India and England will look to add crucial points on WTC standings

Meanwhile, both India and England will look to add crucial points to their World Test Championship standings during the five-match affair. Notably, India are on the second spot in the current cycle (2023-25) with one win and a draw to their name having a points percentage of 66.67%. On the other hand, England are on the seventh spot with two wins and a draw from five matches having a points percentage of 15%.

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England's squad for Test series against India

Ben Stokes, Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood

India vs England Test series schedule 2024

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