July 28, 2025

Jamie Overton has made a timely return to the England cricket squad for the final Test against India at The Oval, starting Thursday. His inclusion comes following concerns about the fitness of the pace bowlers who participated in the grueling drawn fourth Test. England now leads the series 2-1 and they are keen to secure a victory at this crucial stage. Overton's presence is significant as Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse have both played extensively throughout the series. Meanwhile, Jofra Archer made a comeback to the team after a lengthy absence, featuring in the last two Tests. He notably bowled for an exhausting 49.1 overs at Old Trafford, and Ben Stokes, the captain, also took on a heavy workload, bowling 44 overs at Lord's, his most in a decade. Stokes stated on Sunday that the bowling unit had been overworked and emphasized the need for thorough recovery. He noted the importance of giving everyone a fair chance to rest and recuperate, reiterating, “I’m not going to hide from the fact it has been tough for the bowlers.” With just a few days left before the final match, decisions regarding the squad will be critical. Previously part of the squad for the initial matches in the series, Overton had last appeared in a Test back in 2022 during a match against New Zealand. He was released to play County Championship cricket but only bowled 14 overs in a draw against Yorkshire. The England squad also includes seamers Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson, both of whom did not participate in the last Test at Old Trafford. Atkinson is working his way back from a hamstring injury, having bowled 30 overs in a recent second XI match for Surrey. In a corresponding development, India has confirmed that Rishabh Pant is ruled out of the final Test due to a fracture in his right foot, sustained from a delivery by Woakes in the fourth Test. In Pant's absence, Narayan Jagadeesan has been called up for his first appearance at the international level. Earlier, Dhruv Jurel had been brought in as a replacement wicketkeeper for the last two games due to Pant's injury issues. The squads for the final Test are as follows: **England:** Ben Stokes (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes. **India:** Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj, Arshdeep Singh, Narayan Jagadeesan. The last test promises to be an exciting finish to the series, which has seen England winning two Tests, India claiming one, and the last match ending in a stalemate. The stage is set for an intense encounter as both teams look to leave their mark in the concluding fixture. Fans can look forward to an eventful match starting from July 31 to August 4 at The Kia Oval.

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Tags: England cricket, Jamie overton, India test series,