Team selector: Pick your England Test XI to face India
Team Selector: Pick your England XI to face India when the two sides kick off their five-match Test series at Trent Bridge in August.
In July, England announced a 17-man squad for the first two matches of the series, with Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer missing out due to injury.
Ben Stokes was included but later ruled out after opting to take an indefinite break from cricket to prioritise his mental well-being and rest the left finger he had surgery on earlier this year. Craig Overton was named as his replacement.
This is England’s first Test series since their 1-0 defeat to New Zealand in June – it was their first series defeat at home in seven years. England’s last Test series at home to India resulted in a 4-1 win for the hosts in 2018.
Selection questions facing England ahead of the first Test surround how they may line-up without Stokes, their premier all-rounder. When he missed the New Zealand Tests earlier this year, England opted to balance their side without the presence of a specialist spinner. Will they opt to omit Jack Leach once again?
Does Haseeb Hameed come into the side? Having impressed in the County Championship for Nottinghamshire this year, Hameed finds himself back in the England reckoning five years on from his debut series away to India. With England’s top three still facing questions after a difficult winter, Hameed could well make his return to international cricket during the India series.
Ollie Pope is in the squad but is an injury doubt for the first Test.
The full England squad for the first two India Tests is as follows: Joe Root, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Craig Overton, Mark Wood
