England announce 17-member squad for first two Tests against India

Tags: India tour of England, 2021, India, England, Team Squad

Published on: Jul 22, 2021

England have announced a 17-member squad for the first two Tests of the five-match series against India. Fast bowler Jofra Archer remains unavailable while Ben Stokes and Ollie Robinson both make a return. Robinson comes back after he was fined and handed an eight-match ban, five of which are suspended for two years, for offensive historical tweets. His posts went viral on his Test debut against New Zealand.

Stokes was not part of the Test series against New Zealand due to the finger injury he picked up during the Indian Premier League. Stokes was not in England's T20I squad against Pakistan. He was called in as captain to lead the one-day side after the original side was sent into isolation following a Covid-19 outbreak in the camp. Archer may not take feature in the series at all. Chris Woakes was not chosen for the first two Tests but could make a comeback later in the series.

England head coach Chris Silverwood said about the team selection, "The returns of all-rounders Ben Stokes and Sam Curran provide balance that allows us to get back to a structure that has been successful in Test cricket. A home Test series against India is one of the most anticipated red-ball series and this promises to be an outstanding five Tests.”

“India are a quality team who have shown their ability to get results away from home. We are expecting a highly competitive series and have selected our strongest possible squad. The returns of all-rounders Ben Stokes and Sam Curran provide balance that allows us to get back to a structure that has been successful in Test cricket.

Speaking about Stokes and Robinson, the coach added, “Ben’s leadership in the Royal London Series, when he played despite his finger not yet being 100 per cent, typified his character and commitment that drives the players around him forward. With Jos and Jonny back in the squad we have added further experience and quality that will be needed against the world’s second-ranked team.

“We have selected Ollie Robinson after his seven-wicket Test debut against New Zealand. Ollie proved in that Test that he has the ability to replicate his outstanding form in the County Championship at international level and we will continue to work with him to develop his England career,” Silverwood stated.

The first Test of the five-match series will be played from August 4 at Trent Bridge.

--By A Cricket Correspondent

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