England are leaving no stone unturned to gear up for the all-important Test series against Shubman Gill's Team India. According to reports, teenage fast bowler Eddie Jack has received an invitation to train with England's senior team in preparation for the first Test against India. This opportunity follows Jack's impressive performances for the Lions against India A in two recent four-day matches.
India are set to kick off their new World Test Championship (WTC) campaign with a five-match series against England, with the opening Test scheduled to begin at Headingley on June 20. The 19-year-old seamer from Hampshire drew the attention of selectors by dismissing Indian batter KL Rahul during their drawn second unofficial Test match in Northampton. Rahul had previously scored a century in the first innings of that game. Standing tall at 6 feet 4 inches, Jack's performance has reportedly impressed the coaching staff of the England Lions, which includes prominent former players like Andrew Flintoff, Mark Wood, and Graeme Swann, according to The Times, London.
Despite not yet making his debut in the County Championship for Hampshire, Eddie Jack has gained valuable first-class experience through two matches against India A. Earlier in the year, he also represented England at the U-19 level in South Africa.
Adding to his recent successes, Jack took five wickets in a warm-up match last month while playing for a combined counties team against Zimbabwe. During the unofficial Test in Northampton, Jack consistently troubled established Indian Test batsmen, including Nitish Reddy and Dhruv Jurel, with his bowling.
He eventually secured the wicket of Jurel, who was the player of the match in the Ranchi Test against England in 2022, and finished the second innings with figures of 2 for 71.
This call-up for the young teenager comes at a critical juncture for England, as their pace bowling options are currently limited with less than ten days remaining before the start of the first Test. Jofra Archer has already been ruled out of the opening match, Mark Wood will be unavailable for the entire summer due to an injury, and Gus Atkinson is still recovering from a hamstring strain sustained during the recent Test against Zimbabwe.
In the same match against India A, Chris Woakes also participated as part of his preparation, bowling 32 overs and taking five wickets. Josh Tongue, who is likely to be included in the Test XI at Headingley, contributed with two wickets.
This upcoming series marks the beginning of a new chapter for Indian cricket under the captaincy of Shubman Gill, following the Test retirements of prominent players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. India will be aiming to secure their first Test series victory in England since 2007.
India's Test squad for England tour:
Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc, wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
England squad for first Test against India:
Ben Stokes (Captain), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes