England's pace bowling attack is poised to receive a massive boost with the likely return of their tearaway speedster Mark Wood during the upcoming Test series against India. The fast bowler had been sidelined for four months after undergoing knee surgery following the Champions Trophy 2025. His contribution to England's campaign in the tournament was limited to a single wicket across two matches, as the team unfortunately exited in the initial stages.
Mark Wood to make entry in India vs England Test series from fourth match
However, recent updates from within the England camp suggest a positive trajectory for Wood's recovery. Selector Luke Wright recently shared that the speedster is making encouraging progress and has kicked off light bowling sessions. While optimistic about his return, Wright indicated that Wood is expected to regain full fitness around the fourth or fifth Test match of the series. The team management is closely monitoring his progress on a day-to-day basis to ensure a smooth and safe comeback to competitive cricket.
"I think Woody's now started bowling just lightly, to be honest. He's just off a few paces, but that's been a great sign. So, he's on the road to recovery. I think he's more long-term, if we can get him back, he might have an option for the fourth or fifth Test. But again, each day it's ticking off each box and making sure he's OK,” Wright said on Sky Sports.
Not just Wood, England's another prominent fast bowler Jofra Archer is also nursing a thumb injury. This injury occurred during the concluding phase of the Indian Premier League 2025. Consequently, Archer was not selected for the England squad that will participate in the first Test match against India, slated to start from June 20.
Providing further details on Archer's fitness, England selector Luke Wright mentioned that the bowler is expected to play for Sussex as part of his recovery process. The optimistic outlook suggests that Archer is likely to be available for selection in the second Test match of the series against India.
“Joff's trucking on really well, actually. The plans for him, he's playing a few second-team games. The plan is for him to play a few second team games, loading up in the second team for Sussex. And then the idea for him is to play for Sussex against Durham during the first Test. So, he'll play for Sussex if all things go well, and then if all things go well fingers crossed he should be available for the second Test,” Wright further added.
Further compounding England's challenges ahead of the series against India, Gus Atkinson will also be unavailable for the first Test due to a hamstring strain. This unavailability has necessitated a recall for Jamie Overton, who returns to the squad after a three-year absence. Overton will join the seam bowling options for the series opener, which already includes Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, and Sam Cook.
England squad for first Test against India:
Ben Stokes (capt), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wkt), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes