'India and the Ashes are the two tours you most want to go on' - Gus Atkinson shares excitement on maiden Test callup

England are currently gearing up to tour India for a five-game series against the Rohit Sharma-led side. Both sides are slated to face off in the first Test of the series from January 25, and England pacer Gus Atkinson expressed his excitement to play against India in the series.

Atkinson opined that he is excited to play under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum and revealed that touring India and Australia for the Ashes are the two tours that a player wants to go on most.

It is worth noting that Atkinson has been selected in the England squad for the India tour after his performances in the County Championship last summer. The genuine pace that the 25-year-old possesses will complement the visitors’ pacer line-up, consisting of James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, and Mark Wood.

“It’s been really good. Now I’m looking forward to playing under Ben Stokes and Baz (head coach Brendon McCullum). The way the Test team have been playing suits my game perfectly. I’m very excited about what lies ahead. India and the Ashes are the two tours you most want to go on, and it would be incredible to win over the next few weeks,” Atkinson told the Daily Mail.

“Maybe it was a confidence thing when I wasn’t playing regular cricket, but I think my pace comes naturally. I’m definitely giving my all and feel like I get a lot of pace from the last few steps of my run-up. Then I have a whippy arm. I don’t feel like I’m putting loads of force on my body now,” he added.

Surrey have been very good to me: Atkinson

Furthermore, Atkinson lauded the impact of playing county cricket for Surrey in helping him find his confidence. The pacer revealed that the club gave him the much-needed belief that he could represent the national team across formats, and that the club saw something in him that he himself could not.

“Surrey have been very good to me. They saw in me what I didn’t early on. Alec Stewart says he remembers the first time he saw me bowling before I signed and that I had something about me and could get real pace off the wicket,” Atkinson said.