Is team mein all-rounder Jamie Overton ki teen saal baad Test cricket mein waapsi hui hai. Unhone apna akela Test match June 2022 mein New Zealand ke khilaaf khela tha. Overton ko Surrey ke teammate Gus Atkinson ke jagah shamil kiya gaya hai, jo hamstring injury ke wajah se pehle do Test match ke liye shayad nahi khel payenge.
Iske alawa, experienced all-rounder Chris Woakes aur young talent Jacob Bethell bhi team mein wapas aaye hain. Woakes, jinke paas 180 se zyada Test wickets aur 2,000 ke kareeb runs hain, ne apna aakhri Test 2023 Ashes mein khela tha. Woh English conditions mein kafi effective hain, khaas taur par Lord’s mein, jahan unhone 2018 mein India ke khilaaf 4 wickets aur 137* runs banaye the. Brydon Carse, jo toe injury se wapas aaye hain, ne bhi team mein jagah banayi hai aur recently white-ball matches mein unka performance shandaar raha hai.
Team ka pura squad yeh hai: Ben Stokes (captain), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.
Overton ke liye yeh ek bada mauka hai, lekin unki fitness ek chinta ka vishay hai. Unhone recently West Indies ke khilaaf ODI series mein apni right hand ki chhoti ungli tod li thi, aur England ke medical team unki fitness ko roz monitor kar raha hai. Woh shayad England Lions ke liye India A ke khilaaf Northampton mein match khelkar apni fitness prove karenge.
Jacob Bethell ke wapas aane se England ke batting order mein selection ka ek naya sawal khada ho gaya hai. Unhone New Zealand ke khilaaf apni debut series mein acha perform kiya tha, lekin Zimbabwe Test ke liye woh IPL commitments ke wajah se nahi khel paye the. Ab team management ko decide karna hoga ki unhe playing XI mein kaise fit kiya jaye, kyunki Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett aur Ollie Pope ne Zimbabwe ke khilaaf shandaar centuries banayi thi.
England ke pace bowling attack mein Woakes, Carse, Josh Tongue aur Sam Cook bhi hain, jabki Shoaib Bashir ek akela spinner hain. Jofra Archer aur Mark Wood is squad ka hissa nahi hain, kyunki Archer thumb injury se joojh rahe hain aur Wood knee surgery ke baad recover kar rahe hain. Matthew Potts bhi is baar squad mein nahi hain.
Yeh series World Test Championship ke naye cycle ki shuruaat hai. India ke naye captain Shubman Gill ke liye yeh ek badi challenge hogi, kyunki unki team mein Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin aur Mohammed Shami jaise senior players nahi hain. India ne England mein apni aakhri Test series 2007 mein jeeti thi, aur is baar bhi unhe England ke aggressive “Bazball” approach ka saamna karna hoga.
England ke captain Ben Stokes ne squad ke depth par khushi jataayi hai, kehkar ki team ab batting aur bowling dono mein kafi mazboot ho gayi hai. Yeh series dono teams ke liye kafi important hogi, aur Headingley ka pehla Test iski shuruaat ke liye ek shandaar stage hoga.
