England have reduced the speed battery for the India series?

England cricket team could potentially enter the five-match Test series against India with a depleted pace unit. With the series scheduled to start from June 20, at least five fast bowlers are currently injured. Captain Ben Stokes, who made his comeback in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, is the only pacer who isn’t out of action at this point of time.

England pacers race against time to be fit for India series

England’s leading pacer Mark Wood has been ruled out of action for 4 months due to a knee ligament damage. He picked up the injury earlier this year in England vs Afghanistan tie in the ICC Champions Trophy. Earlier, reports stated that Wood was expected to regain full fitness only by the end of July. This means there is no chance for the pacer to be a part of the India series.

Gus Atkinson has been ruled out of the ongoing ODI series against West Indies after suffering a hamstring strain. He picked up the injury during the one-off Test against Zimbabwe. There is no clarity on if he will be fit in time for the series against Shubman Gill and co.

Olly Stone is another fast bowler who is confirmed to miss the series against India. The pacer injured his knee during Nottinghamshire’s pre-season tour of Abu Dhabi earlier in March. Reports state that he has been advised surgery and will be out of action for at least 14 weeks.

Jofra Archer sustained a thumb injury during his stint with Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025. The pacer was subsequently ruled out of the series against West Indies. However, Archer stands a high chance of returning to action against India. On Sunday, he took to Instagram to post a story of a ground along with the caption “back.”

Jamie Overton became the latest England pacer to be injured after sustaining a broken finger during the 1st ODI against WI. While reports stated that he will undergo an extensive rehabilitation that will be supervised by the ECB, there is no clarity on when he is expected to return to action.