England pick three uncapped players in Test squad for India tour

Three uncapped players have been included in England's squad for the five-Test series against India, which begins in January.

Surrey fast bowler Gus Atkinson and spinners Tom Hartley of Lancashire and Somerset's Shoaib Bashir were selected in the 16-player squad announced on Monday.

Atkinson helped Surrey retain their County Championship title this year by claiming 20 wickets in five matches at an average of 20.20, and was part of England's squad at the recent ICC World Cup in India.

Hartley and Bashir trained with the England Lions squad in the United Arab Emirates in November.

Rehan Ahmed, the 19-year-old leg-spinner, returns to the squad after his five-wicket haul against Pakistan in December, 2022, when he became England's youngest-ever Test debutant.

Ben Stokes will captain the squad, having recently announced he will not be available for next year's Indian Premier League in order to manage his workload and fitness.

The series begins in Hyderabad on Jan. 25.

England squad: Ben Stokes (capt), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood.

Schedule: 1st Test: January 25-29, Hyderabad

2nd Test: February 2-6, Visakhapatnam

3rd Test: February 15-19, Rajkot

4th Test: February 23-27, Ranchi

5th Test: March 7-11, Dharamsala