Uncapped spinners Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir named in England’s squad for India Test series… as Rehan Ahmed and Ben Foakes return

• Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir are part of the squad for the five Test series 
• England have been looking for spinners to join Jack Leach and Rehan Ahmed
• Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes returns to the squad and will battle Jonny Bairstow

England will throw two uncapped and inexperienced spinners into the furnace of a Test tour of India after naming Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir in their squad for next month’s series.

The pair, as first predicted by Mail Sport in September, are part of a 16-man squad named today by Rob Key for a crucial five-Test series along with a third player uncapped at Test level in fast bowler Gus Atkinson.

It is the selection of Lancashire’s Hartley and, in particular, Somerset rookie Bashir that will demand attention, with England looking to find new spinners to join the experienced fit-again Jack Leach and the returning leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed on India’s turning pitches.

The pair have been on England’s radar since the summer, with England in particular looking for a left-armer to combat India’s array of right-handed batsmen and, in Hartley, a tall bowler able to replicate India’s Axar Patel and fire the ball in on Indian pitches.

A Lions training camp in Abu Dhabi effectively acted as a spinning Test trial and the winners are Hartley, 24, of Lancashire and a 20-year-old off-spinner in Bashir who has played just six first-class games for Somerset and edges out Sussex’s Jack Carson.

Tom Hartley has been named in England’s 16-man squad for the five Test series in India

In many ways the call-ups are a reflection of the dearth of spin options available in domestic cricket and the decision of England to move away from the option of Hampshire’s experienced Liam Dawson, who is now committed to white-ball franchise cricket.

There is no call-up either for Surrey’s Will Jacks even though he took six wickets on debut in Pakistan last winter with his off-spinners. As Mail Sport revealed last month, Jacks has now committed himself to the South African T20 competition next month in an attempt to cement his England place in June’s World Cup in the Caribbean and USA.

It is in promise and potential that England will instead trust. Bashir, as Mail Sport reported in September, has attracted the interest of Key because of his high release point and the fact he bowls quicker than the average spinner as England target the stumps.

He has taken just 10 wickets in his six matches for Somerset and a further seven in senior white-ball cricket while the 6ft 4in Hartley, who made his one-day debut against Ireland at the end of last season, had a modest 2023 in taking 18 Championship wickets.

Elsewhere faith is retained in Jimmy Anderson to lead the attack while Jonny Bairstow retains his place after being told by Key at the end of the disastrous World Cup to go away and work on his fitness after returning from serious injury.

Ben Stokes will lead the side as long as he has recovered from a knee operation conducted only last week and the extent of his all-round involvement remains to be seen.

Ollie Pope returns after injury issues and surgery of his own while wicketkeeper Ben Foakes returns to the squad and will battle for the keeping place along with Bairstow.

England squad for five-Test tour of India 

Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood

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