Why Have England Dropped Jofra Archer And Mark Wood For 1st Test vs India?

Archer and Wood won't play 1st Test vs IND [Source: @WisdenCricket, @cricbuzz/X]

This afternoon, the England Cricket Board (ECB) announced a formidable men's squad for the first Test of the upcoming five-match series against India. Led by Ben Stokes, the Englishmen will take on the touring Indian side at Headingley, Leeds, in a high-voltage series opener from June 20 to 24. 

Why Have Archer And Wood Been Excluded From England's Test Team?

The exclusion of veteran fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood was found surprising by fans as well as cricket experts. Hailed for their ability to make the ball talk at a rapid pace, Archer and Wood couldn't find a place in the Test side, with England preferring relatively inexperienced seamers like Brydon Carse, Jamie Overton, Sam Cook and Josh Tongue. 

However, it's worth mentioning that both Wood and Archer have been sidelined from the longest format due to injury concerns. Mark Wood underwent knee surgery in March and could play the final Test after completing his rehabilitation. Thus, he is likely to miss the first four Tests of the series. 

Archer, on the other hand, has been left out due to a thumb injury that he sustained during his IPL 2025 stint with Rajasthan Royals. The right-arm pacer was set to feature in England Lions' second unofficial Test against India-A before making his formal return to Test cricket through the Leeds encounter. 

However, the unfortunate thumb injury has further delayed his Test comeback, with England likely to field Chris Woakes along with Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse and Shoaib Bashir as their frontline bowlers.

England Squad For 1st Test vs India

Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Ben Stokes (capt), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes

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