 "IND vs ENG Tests: Harry Brook to return home due to personal reasons")
England’s top-order batter Harry Brook has retired back home from the team’s India tour ahead of the first schedule from January 25 onwards. Brook flew back to London on Sunday, January 20 due to personal reasons, confirmed the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in a press release. Brook will not return to India for the entire five-match series and the England selectors will announce his replacement in due course of time.
“The Brook family respectfully requests privacy during this time. 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 ECB press release said.
“The England selectors will confirm a replacement player for the tour in due course,” it added further.
England have not won a Test series in India since 2012 and with Bazball getting success in Pakistan, India is the final frontier for Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes-led theory before they head to Australia for Ashes in 2025.
Brook, a major part of the Bazball theory, will now have to be replaced in the playing 11 and the squad. Ollie Pope will most likely take Brook’s place in the Playing 11 and Dan Lawrence could be called in as his replacement in the squad.
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England Men’s squad for tour of India
Ben Stokes (Durham – captain)
Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire)
James Anderson (Lancashire)
Gus Atkinson (Surrey)
Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire)
Shoaib Bashir (Somerset)
Harry Brook (Yorkshire)
Zak Crawley (Kent)
Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire)
Ben Foakes (Surrey)
Tom Hartley (Lancashire)
Jack Leach (Somerset)
Ollie Pope (Surrey)
Ollie Robinson (Sussex)
Joe Root (Yorkshire)
Mark Wood (Durham)
England Men's Tests in India 2024
1st Test: India v England, 25-29 January, Hyderabad
2nd Test: India v England, 2-6 February, Vizag
3rd Test: India v England, 15-19 February, Rajkot
4th Test: India v England, 23-27 February, Ranchi
5th Test: India v England, 7-11 March, Dharamsala