England might choose as many as three left-arm spinners for his or her five-Test tour of India within the new yr, with the uncapped Callum Parkinson and Tom Hartley being thought-about for call-ups alongside the returning Jack Leach.

Leach missed the Ashes summer time after the detection of a decrease again stress fracture however, having proved his health throughout a current England coaching camp within the United Arab Emirates, the 32-year-old is anticipated to be named this week within the squad to tackle India.

And in addition to a possible return for Rehan Ahmed, the 19-year-old leg-spinner who took seven wickets on debut in Pakistan final winter, two extra from that UAE camp are understood to be in competition amid a perception that left-arm spin, in opposition to a predominantly right-handed India lineup, is the best way to go. Parkinson, whose twin brother Matt has already performed for England, is the shock bundle after a season of solely 11 wickets in 4 first-class outings for Leicestershire. But that partially got here right down to the 27-year-old falling out of first-team plans at Grace Road halfway via the season after agreeing a winter swap to Durham.

Overall Parkinson has 145 first-class wickets at a shade below 40 however it’s his angle and trajectory which have seen him enter the dialog. England expect turning tracks all through an eight-week tour that begins in Hyderabad on 25 January and Rob Key, crew director and nonetheless chairing choice, has beforehand said a necessity for spinners who drive the ball into the floor like India’s Ravindra Jadeja.

Lancashire’s Hartley, who made his ODI debut against Ireland in September, is one other within the combine. The 24-year-old has solely 40 first-class wickets to his identify however, at 6ft 4in, might ask comparable inquiries to these posed by Axar Patel throughout England’s 3-1 defeat in India in 2021. In the case of each rookies, accuracy and consistency could be important.

This high quality would maybe be extra assured from a seasoned campaigner reminiscent of Liam Dawson, not least after 49 Division One wickets at 20 for Hampshire this yr. But Dawson, 33, has already signed as much as play franchise Twenty20 cricket abroad this winter and indicated {that a} Test call-up would current him with a troublesome alternative.

With Moeen Ali having returned to Test retirement after the Ashes, taking one or each of Parkinson and Hartley might imply no frontline right-arm off-spinner. Will Jacks, the all-rounder, is an possibility however, like Dawson, has signed to play in South Africa’s SA20. Unless Jacks will get the decision within the coming days and modifications his winter plans, Joe Root’s ever-increasing function with the ball could effectively proceed.

Elsewhere, England’s squad is about to be in step with choices below Key and the pinnacle coach, Brendon McCullum, to this point. Things might get sophisticated within the first-choice batting lineup, nevertheless, with Ben Foakes anticipated to return to the squad after his Ashes omission and, given his experience behind the stumps on turning tracks, probably the XI too.

As such – and with Ollie Pope match once more after a shoulder damage reduce brief his Ashes marketing campaign – one common could should drop out for Foakes. The steadiness of the crew can also be not simple both, with Ben Stokes present process rehabilitation from current knee surgical procedure and never assured to start out the collection as an all-rounder.

England additionally haven’t any warmup fixture in the beginning of the tour both, with the squad set to coach within the UAE from 12 January earlier than arriving in India three days out from arguably probably the most daunting problem in worldwide cricket.