Atkinson out but England have pace options for India

England seamer Gus Atkinson has been ruled out of the first Test against India, with Jamie Overton, Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse all bolstering the pace ranks.

- HARRY LATHAM-COYLE

Atkinson suffered a hamstring injury in the one-off encounter with Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge in late May and faces a spell on the sidelines, leading to a recall for Surrey all-rounder Overton, who played his only Test against New Zealand in June 2022.

The 31-year-old is also something of a fitness doubt after breaking a finger in the white-ball series against the West Indies, with England suggesting he will be assessed daily ahead of the start of the India Test at Headingley.

A fit-again Carse has impressed in those shorter-format games after a breakthrough winter with the Test team, while the experienced Woakes is expected to feature for the England Lions against India A at Northampton today as he builds up his workloads. Fellow seamers Josh Tongue and Sam Cook also retain their places in a 14-man squad.