England name three uncapped players in squad for India, recall leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed

Gus Atkinson was among three uncapped players picked while leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed was recalled after a year as England announced their squad for the five-Test series against India that takes place between January and March. Left-arm spinner Tom Hartley and off-spinner Shoaib Bashir are the other players besides Atkinson in the England squad who are yet to make an appearance in the Test format. While Atkinson and Hatley have made limited-overs appearance for England, 20-year-old Bashir is yet to make his mark in international cricket. The Ben Stokes-led side also bolstered their spin department by recalling senior left-arm spinner Jack Leach besides leg-spinner Ahmed. Leach had missed out on the Ashes earlier this year, which forced all-rounder Moeen Ali to come out of retirement after being approached by skipper Stokes, while Ahmed has not represented England in red-ball cricket since making his Test debut against Pakistan in Karachi last year. Also returning to the side after missing out on the Ashes earlier this summer is wicketkeeper-batter Ben Foakes, who was overlooked in favour of the returning Jonny Bairstow for the marquee fixture of England’s home season. Though Bairstow had a decent run with the bat, scoring 322 runs at an average of 40.25 that included three fifties, he was guilty of dropped several important chances and might just feature as a batter in the upcoming series. The upcoming tour will be England’s first trip to India in the ‘Bazball’ Era, with the team having had a dominant run since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum had been appointed Test captain and head coach respectively. Under Stokes’ leadership, England are yet to lose a Test series, holding Australia to a 2-2 draw from 0-2 down in the Ashes, the most recent assignment. They had also whitewashed the three-Test series in Pakistan last year. The five-Test series in India, however, has been described by many as the toughest challenge of the ‘Bazball’ Era given England’s record in that part of the world. England’s only Test series triumph in India in the last four decades came in the form of a 2-1 victory under Andrew Strauss’ leadership in 2012-13. Stokes, who recently came out of ODI retirement for what turned out to be a dismal title defence for England in the recent World Cup, has been named in the squad for the Test series and is expected to feature despite having undergone a knee surgery in November. The all-rounder, however, is unlikely to operate as the sixth bowler during the series. England squad for India Tests: Ben Stokes (Durham – captain), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Tom Hartley (Lancashire), Jack Leach (Somerset), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Mark Wood (Durham)