Surprise recall for Jamie Overton as England announce squad for India Tests

Jamie Overton has been drafted into England’s squad for the first Test against India after his Surrey team-mate Gus Atkinson was ruled out with a hamstring strain. Both Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse come back after missing England’s jumbo win over Zimbabwe with niggles, while the return of Jacob Bethell poses a top-order selection headache for the leadership group.

Overton earned his only cap at Headingley, the venue for the first Test, against New Zealand in 2022, in which he scored a game-changing 97 and took a wicket apiece in each innings. He copped an injury to his little finger last week during an ODI against West Indies, and has only played three County Championship matches since the onset of last season due to injury as well as IPL commitments. Yet, he seems to have leapfrogged Matthew Potts in the pecking order to be added as seam-bowling cover.

“We’ve spoken many times about our varied attack, and making sure that we’ve still got some pace in the attack,” Luke Wright, England’s selector, said. “Jamie showed in white-ball cricket that he’s got a huge amount of pace and bounce, and he’s a real threat.

“He’s obviously had a taste of Test cricket before, and did well, getting some runs, which was great. He’s going back to a ground he did well at Leeds, and for us, it’s making sure that we’ve got the options. If one of those quicker bowlers were to go down, then we’ve got someone who could replace him, and Jamie is a great one to have available.”

England were optimistic that Atkinson would heal in time for the series opener but he was deemed unfit for selection, leaving their seam resources affected. Mark Wood and Olly Stone have been sidelined with knee injuries, while Jofra Archer is on the treatment table after a thumb issue. Wright confirmed that the express quick is supposed to play a Championship tie for Sussex against Durham to brace himself for a potential recall.

Bethell, meanwhile, was away for the IPL at the time of the Zimbabwe fixture and his return creates a dilemma for the hosts. His debut series in New Zealand, in which he crafted three half-centuries at No. 3, had Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope looking over their shoulders, but both the established players did score hundreds against Zimbabwe to consolidate their positions.

“He’s very close,” Wright said of Bethell’s injection into the playing XI. “It’s a great option to have, isn’t it? It’s lovely to have him back, what a talent we all see in him. When Baz and Stokesy took on these roles, we were really struggling as a batting group to get runs on the board, and we’re getting to a point now where we’re getting real depth into that squad, which is fantastic.”

Sam Cook retains his position after making his debut against Zimbabwe but appears likely to begin the series as back-up, with Woakes back in the mix after an ankle issue. Josh Tongue, who missed the 2024 season through injury, also features in the squad, and will represent England Lions against India A at Northampton this week – alongside Woakes – to gear up for the first Test.