IND vs ENG Test series: England announces 14-man squad for first Test, Chris Woakes returns

Chris Woakes named in England squad to face India in Test series; Stokes to lead, young talent included.

Fast bowler Chris Woakes was on Thursday (June 5, 2025) named in a 14-man England squad to take on India in the first of the five Tests to be played from June 20 at Leeds.

The 36-year-old Woakes recently returned from a long-term ankle injury. He has 181 wickets and 1,970 runs from 57 Tests so far, and had played a major role in a big England win over India at the Lord's during the 2018 series.

He scored an unbeaten 137 and took four wickets in the match to help England win by an innings and 159 runs.

Woakes, along with fast bowler Josh Tongue, have been asked by the ECB to get some miles under their legs before the first Test against India starting June 20. Hence, the duo will turn up for England Lions against India A in the second unofficial Test starting on Friday at Northampton.

Jamie Overton returned to the Test fold for the first time since his maiden appearance against New Zealand in June 2022, even though he sustained a fracture to his right little finger on May 29 during the first ODI against West Indies at Birmingham.

The 31-year-old Overton, who also played in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League for Chennai Super Kings, "continues to be assessed and reviewed daily by the England medical team", the ECB said on their website.

The England squad led by Ben Stokes features a lone spinner in Shoaib Bashir, who took nine wickets in their win against Zimbabwe in the only Test played earlier this summer.