England announce squad for first 2 Tests vs India: Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes back in hut

In the run-up to the much-awaited two-month long tour, the England Cricket Board (ECB) has announced its squad for the first two Tests of the series against India. The English selectors have brought stars Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes back into the squad as they set their eyes on the World Test Championship. The duo had been rested for the tour of Sri Lanka which is currently underway. 

England has announced 16-man strong squad with an additional six members slated to travel as reserves. Joe Root will continue to lead the side while Moeen Ali, who was infected with COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, will travel to India for the Test series. Rory Burns will also return to the squad. Meanwhile, Ollie Pope has been included in the touring party, however, he will only be included if deemed fit. Pope is currently recovering from a shoulder injury sustained in September during the Test series against Pakistan. The touring party will also miss out on services of Jonny Bairstow, young all-rounder Sam Curran and Mark Wood as they have been rested for the series. 

England Men’s Test Squad:

Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

Reserves: James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi

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India's squad for first 2 Tests 

The Test series which is set to begin from February 5, will witness the return of skipper Virat Kohli who had travelled back home after the first Test against Australia for the birth of his first child. The selection panel led by Chetan Sharma has also brought back veteran speedster Ishant Sharma, who had been ruled out of the Australia tour with an injury whereas Hardik Pandya will also don the whites despite having lost his father a few days ago. 

In the absence of Mohammad Shami and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, the Indian team has reposed its faith in young guns Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur, who've had an impressive Test series Down Under. In the spin department, Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar along with Kuldeep Yadav have retained their spots while Axar Patel has been called in to fill Ravindra Jadeja's shoes, who sustained an injury during the Australia tour. 

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Full Squad:  Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel

England tour of India 2020/21

England will be visiting India for an all-format bilateral series that will go on for almost two months. The gruelling tour with the English cricket team comprises four Test matches, five T20Is, and three ODIs up until March 28. The five-match Test series will also constitute a major part of the ongoing inaugural ICC World Test Championship.

The tour kicks off with the first Test that will be played in Chennai's M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. Meanwhile, the entire bilateral series has been restricted to just three venues by the Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI committee. In an official statement by the Indian board, the decision for limited venues was made due to the coronavirus crisis that is prevailing in the country. The venues decided for the series are Chennai’s M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Ahmedabad’s Sardar Patel Stadium, and Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

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