England youngster Harry Brook has been ruled out upcoming India vs England Test series due to personal reasons. Harry Brook was named in the initial 17-member squad that England announced for the series.
The India vs England Test series is set to commence on Thursday, January 25. The IND vs ENG 1st Test will be played at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Ben Stokes is the captain of England while Rohit Sharma is the skipper of Team India.
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) released an official statement about Harry Brook’s ouster from the India vs England Test series. ECB said that Brook will return home with immediate effect for personal reasons.
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Harry Brook Ruled Out Of India vs England Test Series
“Harry Brook is set to return home with immediate effect for personal reasons from the England Men’s Test tour of India. The Brook family respectfully requests privacy during this time,” the ECB statement read.
“In light of this, the ECB and the family kindly request the media and the public to respect their wish for privacy and refrain from intruding on their private space. The England selectors will confirm a replacement player for the tour in due course,” the statement further added.
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Harry Brook’s ouster comes as a big blow to England. Brook has been a consistent performer in the middle-order for England for quite some time. Since his Test debut in September 2022, Harry Brook has played 12 Tests for England.
The right-handed batter has mustered 1181 runs in 20 innings at an outstanding average of 62+. He has also shattered 4 centuries and 7 half-centuries. Notably, Brook also made the record for becoming the fastest batsman to score 1000 runs in Tests.
ECB has not announced Harry Brook’s replacement for the series. Here is England’s updated squad for the India series. Ben Stokes (Captain), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Daniel Lawrence, Rehan Ahmed, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes, Ollie Pope, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood.
England Rails At 8th Spot In ICC World Test Championship Points Table
Meanwhile, England faces a gigantic challenge against India during the upcoming away series. England has never won any Test series in India. During their previous Test tour in India in 2021, England lost the Test series 3-1.
England desperately needs a good show in the upcoming Test series against India. The Englishmen currently take the 8th spot in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-2025 points table with a win percentage of 15.0.
Ben Stokes & Co. need to showcase a brilliant show against India to improve their rankings in the WTC points table. India, on the other hand, enjoys the 2nd spot in the WTC table with a win percentage of 54.16.