India and England will face off in a five-match Test series starting January 25. England fast bowler Gus Atkinson said his focus will be on bowling short and sharp against India in their upcoming Test series. India have not lost a test series at home since the defeat against England in 2012, where Alastair Cook led the team to a 2-1 victory against the hosts.
The two teams will face off at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad for the first match of the series. England will play their second Test series in the current WTC cycle after drawing the 2023 Ashes 2-2 against Australia.
The England team is currently eighth in the WTC table, while India is second in the table, just behind Australia, who are at the top after a 3-0 win against Pakistan.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo ahead of the Test series against India, Gus Atkinson explained his focus on bowling in short, sharp spells in India and said that he will play the role of an impact bowler in the series. Gus Atkinson, who made his ODI and T20I debut for England, received his first call-up to the Test team that visited India for the five-match series.
“People talk about your pace and they choose you because you can play fast. You have to, and want to, play fast, so that’s definitely something I’m going to focus on. I probably imagine they will spend short, intense periods in India. Kind of an impact bowler.” Atkinson said.
Gus Atkinson wants to play impact bowler role
He went on to say that Test cricket is the pinnacle and termed his maiden Test call-up as exciting. Gus Atkinson is the only player in the England Test team to face India, who also featured in the ODI World Cup squad as well as both legs of their West Indies tour.
He has had a busy few months with the England national cricket team, but with his first Test call-up, he is hoping to make a Test debut and hopefully help his team win the series against a team that has yet to tasted defeat. at home for the last twelve years.
“Test cricket is the one you watch as a kid and think, yeah, that’s the pinnacle. But, you know, I try to stay as level as possible and treat a call as a call, which is obviously an exciting thing.” Atkinson added.
The Indian team for the five-match Test series included Virat Kohli but he opted out of the first two Tests, meaning the Indian team has to announce the batting maestro’s replacement soon.
Both Rohit Sharma and Ben Stokes are yet to lose a Test series for their teams, which is a great achievement, but only one of the two captains can take the record as the chances of a series tie in India are slim.
England squad for five-match Test series against India: Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow (goalkeeper), Shoaib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood ,